Spottedpaw's Peril
by WarriorCats Variable
Summary: *Takes place after Bramblestar's Storm* Follow the story of Spottedpaw, daughter of Bramblestar and Squirrelflight, as she tries to survive perils no other warrior has faced before. Contains blood and sexual content. Warrior cats.
1. Chapter 1

The moon shone brightly overhead on Thunderclan's camp, the wind lightly rustling through the grass and the leaves on the trees.

Bramblestar flinched as he heard an agonized wail come from the nursery. He darted in, pushing through the ferns. "What's wrong," he demanded.

Jayfeather turned around in the tightly packed den, his eyes filled with exasperation. "For the fifth time, nothing's wrong! She's giving birth, for Starclan's sake." Leafpool, ignoring Bramblestar, busily sorted through herbs and gave some to Bramblestar's mate, Squirrelflight. Despite Jayfeather's confidence, Leafpool's eyes held a hint of nervousness.

Distraught, Bramblestar stared down at his mate, her jaws clenching as spasms rippled through her body. Her fur was matted from the effort of giving birth, and a small amount of blood had formed around her haunches. Moss had scattered all over the floor from his mate's writhing paws. He scrambled over to her, bending his head to touch her ear softly with his nose. "I'm here," he whispered.

Squirrelflight looked up at him with her green eyes, and then opened her mouth intending to say something, but all that came out was a shriek as the first kit began to emerge. Bramblestar pressed himself closely against Squirrelflight in a vain attempt to comfort her, wrapping one leg around her to embrace her. Squirrelflight buried her face into Bramblestar's paw as the first kit made its way into the world. When it landed in the moss she lifted her head to look at it but suddenly howled in pain and laid it back down. Through pure instinct, she took Bramblestar's paw in her mouth and bit down as the second kit pushed itself next to its littermate. In pain, his eyes rolled to the back his head, and he was sure he was going to lose his paw; luckily moments later the second kit rolled out into Jayfeather's waiting paws, who licked it clean. Once the second kit was born, Bramblestar felt Squirrelflight relax immediately. She let go of his paw, managing to sit up, panting, while leaning heavily on Bramblestar, and guided her newborn kits to her belly to suckle.

"A tom and a she-cat," purred Leafpool, obviously delighted. Jayfeather snorted, "seems like a waste of time and herbs to me." Bramblestar knew that the medicine cat didn't mean those harsh words. Squirrelflight had had a rough pregnancy, suffering from pain and bleeding throughout, but Jayfeather had been at her side throughout the entire ordeal, providing herbs and encouragement.

Leafpool padded up to Squirrelflight and nuzzled her side. "I'm so proud of you," she murmured. She lifted her eyes to Bramblestar's, and mouthed "Thank you." He blinked at her with warmth in his gaze, knowing what she meant. He had forgiven both Squirrelflight and Leafpool for the lie they had made surrounding his supposed kits, Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Hollyleaf. He knew how much it meant to Leafpool for Squirrelflight to be having his kits.

Bramblestar and Squirrelflight lay side by side as Jayfeather and Leafpool picked up their herbs and exited the den to leave Bramblestar and Squirrelflight alone. Bramblestar groomed the top of his mate's head, gently licking her ears, as she rested her head on his chest, sighing. "What's wrong?" Bramblestar questioned. He felt his mates' shoulders shift as Squirrelflight sighed again, "all the she-cats who have had kits before told me that their kits names came to mind when they were born, but I don't have the slightest idea what we should name our kits."

Bramblestar pushed his nose into his mates' orange fur on the top of her head, thinking. He gazed down at the kits, which had just finished feeding, and were snuggling up against Squirrelflight's belly to sleep. The she-kit had a beautiful dappled pelt that sparked a memory in Bramblestar's thoughts. "Spottedkit!" he suddenly gasped out loud, and turned to Squirrelflight who was looking at him quizzically, "in honor of Spottedleaf, who gave her life to protect Thunderclan," he explained.

Squirrelflight nodded in agreement, and then switched her gaze to the sleeping tom. He had a dark-red pelt and four white paws. "How about we call him Redkit," Squirrelflight asked drowsily. Bramblestar purred deeply from his chest, making Squirrelflight's head vibrate slightly. "It's perfect," replied Bramblestar, his voice filled with love and warmth, "absolutely perfect."

While Squirrelflight rested her head down to sleep, Bramblestar gazed down at his son and daughter. He felt a feeling of pure protectiveness surge through him, and he silently vowed to himself, _nothing will ever harm these cats, even if it means sacrificing myself. _In the back of his head though, he knew that his kits were now living in a dangerous world, and he painfully realized that he would have to put his clan first, even above his own kits.

Pushing the thought away, Bramblestar rested his head down next to Squirrelflights' and closed his eyes. A thrill of excitement coursed through. _I have a strong, loyal mate and two amazing, healthy kits! _With the delightful thought in mind, he let himself drift into the darkness of sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

_2 Moons Later_

Spottedkit prowled outside the nursery wall, keeping her body low and flat like she had seen warriors do. She carefully stepped over brittle leaves and twigs, so that her prey wouldn't be alerted. _Almost there, step over this twig, don't let my back brush against the brambles…pounce! _Her leap brought her sailing over the moth that had been resting on a rock. Alarmed, it quickly drew itself up into the air with rapid flicks of its small wings. Spottedkit, in frustration, slammed her paw down onto the ground, snarling. Her ears flicked when she heard laughing behind her. She turned around to see all her denmates looking at her, laughter clearly present in their eyes.

Redkit, her brother, trotted around her, playfully taunting, "The clever hunter! Able to creep up on any prey! Too bad she can't jump on anything, even when it's right in front of her nose!" Spottedkit, thoroughly enraged, bowled her brother over, jabbing her paws into his ribs repeatedly. "Like you could do any better," she snarled into his face, continuing her jabs on his ribs and into his stomach. "Stop it! You're hurting me!" yowled Redkit. Spottedkit grinned wickedly, pinning her brother down, taunting him back. "Not so strong now, huh?"

Suddenly Squirrelflight appeared from the nursery, lifting Spottedkit off of Redkit, then grabbing Redkit by the scruff to get him to his paws. She stepped back and gave them both a stern glare. "I don't _ever _want to see you two fighting or taunting each other like that again. As littermates and clan mates you should support and advise each other, not bring each other down."

"We're sorry," Spottedkit and Redkit muttered in unison. Squirrelflight eyes quickly changed from a look of exasperation to fondness, and she nuzzled each of her kits before padding away across the clearing. Redkit and Spottedkit turned towards their denmates, Flowerkit and Pinekit, daughters of Molewhisker and Rosepetal. Flowerkit stared at Redkit and Spottedkit with wide eyes, "Why were you guys fighting?" she mewed in a trembling squeak. Rosepetal had given birth to them a moon later than Squirrelflight, and they were both still tiny and new to the world. "Don't worry about it," growled Redkit, obviously still fuming at being beaten in a fight with his sister. Pinekit stepped forward, her blue eyes questioning, "How about we play hide-and-seek?" Redkit was about to exclaim how dumb he thought that game was when Spottedkit padded up and gleefully agreed, "Yes, let's play!" Smugly, she turned to Redkit, "Why don't you be it since I pinned you down?" "Whatever," replied Redkit, who spun around and sat down, facing the nursery. He closed his eyes and began to count, "1...2...3…" Spottedkit raced over to the entrance of the camp, not caring where Flowerkit and Pinekit went, and she hid herself in some brambles, trying to scuff up leaves on her pelt to disguise her pelt.

"…10…ready or not here I come!" As Redkit began to search through the camp, Spottedkit suddenly heard a thrumming of paws behind her, along with the heavy scent of fear, and something else. The realization hit her with a blow. She had smelled it once before when Jayfeather had plucked a thorn from her paw. It was the smell of blood! Forgetting about the game, Spottedkit sprinted in terror to the other side of the camp and spun around, staring as a scene she would never forget unfolded itself.

Whitewing came inside the camp, dragging a body that at first Spottedkit could not recognize. With horror, she realized it was her apprentice, Amberpaw. Without hesitation, Whitewing dragged her apprentice halfway across the clearing, before dropping her to yowl, "Jayfeather! Leafpool! Come quickly!"

The medicine cats bolted out, giving directions and getting herbs, but Spottedkit couldn't unglue her eyes from what she saw. Amberpaw, who once had a pale ginger pelt, was now covered in blood. Deep scratches laced her body, and a disturbingly deep depression as on her head, as though someone had put so much pressure on her skull it had caused it to partially collapse. One of her legs was obviously broken to a point that seemed almost impossible. Amberpaw's chest heaved for breath, blood forming a puddle next to where her mouth lay. In what seemed like seasons for Spottedkit, but was in reality only a couple minutes, Amberpaw's breathing stopped. She was dead.

Jayfeather and Leafpool stepped back, shock still evident in their eyes. "I'm sorry, there was nothing we could've done…" whispered Leafpool, to no cat in particular. Solemnly, the medicine cats cleaned up the body, and did their best to cover up the cuts and put her in a peaceful looking position for the mourning ritual. However, there was nothing they could do to cover up the deformed skull without covering her entire face.

It was the first mourning ritual Spottedkit had ever seen, and she watched from a distance. She saw her father, Bramblestar, move up to Amberpaw's body to say farewell. He then tried to comfort Amberpaw's parents, Cloudtail and Brightheart, who had watched the scene occur from the entrance of the warrior's den. He offered some words of comfort, before turning back to Amberpaw's mutilated body.

Spottedkit saw Bramblestar beckon Whitewing with his tail. Spottedkit crept closer to get within earshot, and heard Bramblestar say "Whitewing, did you see what happened to Amberpaw? Who did this to her?" Whitewing sobbed as she spoke, and guilt crept into her eyes as she recalled back the unpleasant memory. "I was assessing Amberpaw's hunting from a distance, when I saw prey to my side. I thought I'd leave Amberpaw to her hunt for a couple hearbeats to catch it when I heard her yowl. I came back to her as fast I could, and I...I s..saw…twolegs…young twolegs. They were throwing rocks at her for no reason, and then one of them…" Whitewing began to shake uncontrollably at the memory, and Bramblestar laid his paw over hers and encouraged her to keep speaking, "one of them grabbed up a big rock…probably the size of my head, and threw it at her head. Amberpaw didn't even yowl that time, she just fell unconscious, and the twolegs ran away." With that, Whitewing dropped to her stomach and buried her face into her paws, crying softly. Bramblestar touched her head with his nose to comfort her, murmuring gently, "It's not your fault Whitewing, even if you had been watching her there would be nothing you could've done." When Whitewing didn't respond, Bramblestar gazed around and made eye contact with Birchfall, and nodded to him. Quickly, Birchfall padded over and pressed himself against Whitewing, and spoke softly to her, too softly for Spottedkit to pick out the words.

Spottedkit's attention was drawn away when she felt a presence next to her, and she turned to see Redkit standing beside her. The resentment from before had completely drained out of his eyes, to be replaced by sheer horror. "What did that to her?" he meowed. "Twolegs," replied Spottedkit softly. For several moments, they stared at the circle of cats that surrounded Amberpaw's body until Squirrelflight rushed over to her kits, and nudged them back into the nursery and into the nest. There was no need for words; Squirrelflight comfortingly circled around Spottedkit and Redkit, and soon fell asleep. Spottedkit, however, couldn't sleep. She felt so shaken that a life, especially that of an apprentice, could end so abruptly that she began to shiver. Redkit noticed and nudged her softly, and when she didn't respond he pressed his nose against her shoulder, and when she turned she saw a look of protectiveness and maturity she hadn't seen before. "Don't worry, I won't let the twolegs get you," Redkit promised. Surprised at the reassurance, Spottedkit snuggled up with her brother against Squirrelflight. Before darkness overcame her, Spottedkit heard her brother quietly murmur one last time, "I will protect you from anything that tries to hurt you, I promise."


	3. Chapter 3

Spottedkit wriggled in her mother's grasp as her tongue smoothed out all the knots from her fur. She felt a renewed burst of excitement as the realization began to register in her mind. She and her brother were about to become apprentices! "Who do you think will be my mentor," Spottedkit chirped to Squirrelflight. She replied, "I don't know, but I'm sure Bramblestar will choose the perfect mentor for you,"

Once Squirrelflight had made Spottedkit's pelt smooth and clean, she began to do the same for Redkit. His eyes shined with excitement, and his paws churned in the air. Spottedkit was sure that if Squirrelflight let him go he would run all the way around the lake and back. "I hope Lionblaze is my mentor! I want to be able to fight just like him. Then I'll be able to kill any twoleg who dares to step in our territory!" While Squirrelflight purred with amusement, informing Redkit he would just have to wait and see, Spottedkit noticed the trace of fear in Squirrelflight's voice.

Ever since Amberpaw's incident, twoleg intrusion occurred more and more frequently. The elders claimed it was the first time in the history of the clans that warriors were looking forward to leaf-bare, when the cold would drive away the obnoxious twolegs. Spottedkit knew that Squirrelflight was terrified something would happen to them in the forest at the hands of twolegs. While Spottedkit understood her mother's concern for them, she wished that she would trust her kits to take care of themselves. After all, in the past four moons they had both grown considerably, and Redkit had barely outgrown Spottedkit in height.

Spottedkit was pulled away from her thoughts when she heard the familiar summons from Bramblestar. She quickly stood up taller, straightened her back and lifted her chin to look at warrior-like as possible. Squirrelflight came to stand beside her, with Redkit on her other side. Squirrelflight nuzzled each of her kits' heads before murmuring, "Time to go." Together, they marched out of the nursery into the bright light outside. It took less than a heartbeat for Spottedkit's eyes to adjust to the light, and she saw the entire clan formed around the high-rock, with Bramblestar standing tall and proud, awaiting the ceremony. Spottedkit felt the eyes of the entire clan rest on her and Redkit, and nervousness replaced her previous excitement. Still, she managed to keep her paws stable and kept on walking. As the trio approached the center, Squirrelflight branched off into the crowd, leaving Spottedkit and Redkit standing side by side together in front of Bramblestar.

Bramblestar looked down on his kits proudly for a moment, then initiated the ceremony with the usual words. "Redkit and Spottedkit, you have reached your sixth moon. Redkit, step forward." Redkit, his body rigid with excitement, ran up to Bramblestar and scrambled to a halt, causing purrs of amusement to ripple through the crowd. "Redkit, from his day forward you shall be known as Redpaw. Lionblaze, you will be mentor to Redpaw" Lionblaze padded up to Redpaw and touched noses before retreating to the crowd, leaving Spottedkit by herself.

"Spottedkit, step forward. From this day forward you shall be known as Spottedpaw. Brackenfur will be your mentor." Spottedpaw felt happiness course through her at the name, she knew that Brackenfur was intelligent and known for his dedication to the Warrior Code. Brackenfur walked up, touched noses with her, and they trotted to the crowd. But Bramblestar wasn't done with the meeting yet.

"Listen carefully, all of you. It has been four moons since Amberpaw has passed away. But the danger still exists, just as much as before. Remember to always be alert and careful." Bramblestar hesitated for a couple seconds before concluding, "the meeting is over."

Redpaw and Lionblaze trotted over to Spottedpaw and Brackenfur. "Let's all four of us go out and explore the territory together," meowed Lionblaze. "Alright," agreed Brackenfur. Without so much as a glance the two mentors charged off through the fern tunnel and out into the forest. Redpaw and Spottedpaw shared a surprised glance before bolting after their mentors as fast as their short legs would allow.

While Lionblaze and Brackenfur hurdled over logs and nimbly skidded around bushes, Spottedpaw and Redpaw struggled to keep up. Spottedpaw panted hard, and her muscles began to burn in her legs. Just when she thought she would have to call to Brackenfur and Lionblaze to slow down they halted in some underbrush. Once Spottedpaw had caught up, her breath was taken away by the sight she saw. A vast expanse of water lay past the underbrush they had taken shelter in. "Wow.." Redpaw breathed beside her, obviously just as fascinated by the sight.

"Ahem," a grunt from Lionblaze caused Spottedpaw and Redpaw to turn around. "What you see before you is the lake, which all four territories surround. "That way," Lionblaze nodded to his right, "is Shadowclan territory. Breathe it in and remember the scent." Spottedpaw opened her mouth and breathed deeply, suddenly recognizing the unfamiliar scent that made the fur on her spine prickle uncomfortably.

"Next, were going to go along the lake, but we will stay inside the brush so that twolegs don't see us." Once again, Lionblaze and Brackenfur darted off, leaving Redpaw and Spottedpaw to sprint after them. As they ran, Spottedpaw's steps became slower and slower, and when Redpaw slowed down to accommodate her speed she gasped in between pants, "Don't slow down, I'll keep up." With a nod Redpaw sped back up in the direction that Lionblaze and Brackenfur were going. Within several moments, Redpaw was out of sight in the thick undercover, but Spottedpaw knew where to go from the sounds he made. But a flash of brown to her right caused Spottedpaw to slow down and stop. It as a mouse! _If I can catch this mouse, imagine how surprised everyone would be! _Spottedpaw followed her instinct, dropping into a crouch and prowled forward careful not to brush against anything.

Spottedpaw became so intent on her hunt that she didn't notice the flashes of yellow pelts approaching her until they were nearly on top of her. She twisted her head and glanced up to see the most horrifying beast she'd ever laid eyes upon. It had white skin but wore pelts that covered most of it's body, the top had a dazzling bright yellow that was almost painful to look at. It was an older twoleg, and it cooed gently down at Spottedpaw, but all Spottedpaw could think of was Amberpaw's body in her final moments of life, as she had gasped in pain. Spottedpaw screeched louder than she ever thought possible, but her muscles refused to obey her will to run away. In a swift and gentle motion, the twoleg picked her up and cradled her into a tight embrace. "Help me! Brackenfur! Redpaw!" The twoleg, noticing her distress, petted her head and ears softly, then began to walk the opposite way her mentor and brother had gone. "NO! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!" It was no use. No signs of life appeared from the forest. Would anyone even know she had been stolen? Spottedpaw closed her eyes and sent a prayer up to Starclan: _Please Starclan, don't let the twolegs kill me. It's my first day as an apprentice. _But then the memory of Amberpaw came back to her mind. _Twolegs don't care how young I am. I'm going to die! _The realization caused pure terror and adrenaline to surge through her, but it didn't matter. Her thoughts overwhelmed her, and she fell unconscious in the arms of the twoleg.


	4. Chapter 4

"Don't slow down, I'll keep up." His sister was obviously tiring quickly, but he didn't want them to lose their mentors. Panting too hard to speak, he simply nodded in acknowledgement, before speeding up to chase after Lionblaze and Brackenfur. He didn't think Thunderclan's territory could be so big. At one point as he ran he swore that he heard a scream from somewhere, but he was panting so hard he couldn't be sure. He just had to keep up with his mentors.

A bush entered his path, and he quickly slowed down and bolted around the bush, accidentally running head-first into Brackenfur's flank. He stumbled back onto his haunches and rubbed his nose with his paw. "Sorry, Brackenfur." Brackenfur didn't respond, but instead peered around the bush. "Where's Spottedpaw?" he inquired. "Right behind me," Redpaw panted, "She started to get tired and slowed down." The three toms waited in silence for a minute until finally Brackenfur's worry overcame him. "Let's go see what's holding her up."

Instead of running this time, however, Lionblaze and Brackenfur walked stealthily through the bracken, retracing their previous steps. Redpaw became uneasy at their caution. "Do you think something happened to her," he mewed. Lionblaze turned his head and tapped his tail tip on his mouth, signaling for absolute silence. This only increased Redpaw's uneasiness. He knew that they should have run into Spottedpaw by now, and there was no way she could've gotten lost because of their scent trail. _I promised her I would keep her safe! _In disobedience towards his mentor, he squeezed past Brackenfur and ran towards where he had seen his sister last. Lionblaze yowled behind him to stop, but he ignored him. It didn't take long for him to stumble upon a stench he had never smelt before. He skidded to a halt to investigate, but moments later Lionblaze jumped him from behind and pinned him down. "You fucking idiot! There's twoleg scent here. We have to get out of here."

Once, Redpaw would've been shocked at the vulgar language Lionblaze had just used, but his fear at the mention of twolegs pushed that down. Redpaw opened his mouth to draw in the surrounding scents, and to his dread, he caught a trace of Spottedpaw's scent. "They killed her..." Redpaw breathed. Lionblaze smelt her scent the same time Redpaw did. He let Redpaw get back to his feet, then turned to Brackenfur who had stopped behind them, and was looking around for any present signs of twolegs. "I don't smell any blood," Brackenfur answered Lionblaze's unspoken question. "But she definitely was here at the same time as the twolegs."

Redpaw thought he would cry in despair right there. "No…" he muttered, then he remembered the cry he thought he heard while running. "I heard her cry out…but I didn't realize it at the time. They got her, and it's all my fault." With that, Redpaw sunk down to the ground, still staring at the spot where Spottedpaw's and the twoleg's scent intertwined.

Lionblaze's eyes hardened. "No, it's not your fault. We can't be entirely sure she got taken. She may have escaped." Lionblaze turned towards Brackenfur. "Take Redpaw back to camp and tell Bramblestar what happened. Send search parties. I'll start looking right now." Brackenfur mewed in agreement and nosed Redpaw back to his paws, and guided him back to camp slowly with his tail resting gently on his shoulder.

Redpaw watched the sun set lower and lower towards the tree tops. Rustling at the camp entrance drew his attention. His hopes lifted for less than a heartbeat as Bramblestar entered with the rest of the search party. Bramblestar looked utterly defeated, and Lionblaze appeared exhausted.

Squirrelflight, who was sitting next to Redpaw, had been out hunting during the day. Redpaw had told her what had happened upon her return, and she was obviously distressed. She ran over to Bramblestar to question him, but all he gave was a sad shake of his head. Cloudtail, who had one of the best senses of smell in the clan, padded up. "She was running through the forest when her scent just suddenly ran into the twolegs. It doesn't appear anywhere else. The only option…" Cloudtail swallowed, "the only option is that she got taken by the twolegs. Their scent went into Shadowclan's territory. A nearby patrol gave us permission to follow the trail, and it led to a small thunderpath. It ended there."

Before Cloudtail had finished given the report, a wail had risen up in Squirrelflight's throat. She spun around to face Bramblestar, "We have to go after her! We have to save her." Bramblestar only looked at his mate with pure anguish in his gaze. With the clan approaching leaf-bare and the fact that finding Spottedpaw would be a task too big even for Starclan since she could be anywhere, and that she was most likely dead already meant he couldn't possibly spare any of his warriors. "Squirrelflight, there's nothing we can…" Squirrelflight interrupted him with a furious hiss, and scored her claws down his cheek, drawing blood. She instantly regretted it, and she knew Bramblestar was right, but it was too much to take in. She held her head down in shame and defeat, but Bramblestar padded up to her and murmured comfortingly in her ear, ignoring the new injury on his cheek.

Redpaw couldn't believe that was it. He barely registered what was going on as Bramblestar climbed the rock and summoned the clan. He explained what had happened, and said that due to the violent nature of the twolegs, it would be best to assume Spottedpaw was dead, and to have a mourning ritual that night. Redpaw barely even noticed when Bramblestar came back down and padded towards him, nudging him to his paws and guiding him to the center of the clearing, where they would mourn. Redpaw collapsed on his stomach, and Bramblestar and Squirrelflight pressed against him on either side. He tried to hold his emotions in, but he simply couldn't. He turned his head so the rest of the clan wouldn't see, and cried softly into his father's dark fur.

Redpaw opened his eyes into a place he had never been before, with heavy fog floating around him. He instantly knew he must be dreaming. He didn't want to sleep through his sister's mourning ritual… but he couldn't will himself to wake upon matter how hard he tried.

He made out a shape forming directly in front of him, and when he squinted to see through the fog he realized it was the shape of a cat. It came closer and closer until Redpaw could make out the details. It was a bright orange, muscular tomcat with green eyes, and he looked strangely similar to Squirrelflight. He instantly realized it must be his clan's previous leader, Firestar. Redpaw stared in awe as the large cat walked up to him, and gently rested his nose against his ear. Redpaw decided to speak first, "Firestar…had Spottedpaw come to Starclan yet? She didn't die too far away to come, did she?" Firestar stepped back and gazed directly into Redpaw's eyes before replying, "What I'm about to tell you, you must keep to yourself. Do not burden your parents with this knowledge. Do you understand?" When Redpaw nodded, Firestar continued, "Spottedpaw is alive. The twolegs who took her meant her no harm. In fact, they thought they were helping her." Firestar paused before continuing, "she is alive now, but I can't guarantee how long she will live. She will try to get back to Thunderclan…but many obstacles lay in her path." Redpaw's infinite joy at hearing his sister lived immediate got crushed. "Shouldn't I tell Bramblestar so he can send a search party…" "No!" Firestar interrupted firmly, before continuing, "Bramblestar is right to not send his warriors out. He must focus on the good of his clan. And you, Redpaw, must focus on your training. Do what you believe to be right." Redpaw opened his mouth to question Firestar more when he realized Firestar was rapidly disappearing, as were his surroundings.

Redpaw's eyes flew open. He looked at each of his parents and saw their eyes staring miserably at the ground, as though imaging their daughter's body lying there. Redpaw gazed up at the stars, his emotions rapidly changing from one of hope, to despair, to frustration. He located the brightest star in the sky and stared at it, thinking, _Can you see that star, Spottedpaw? I hope so, because it may be our only connection for a long time. Whatever happens, be strong and brave for me, and come back home. Please._


	5. Chapter 5

Spottedpaw awakened to consciousness to complete chaos. Her ears registered what seemed to be endless meows of other cats. The scents of twolegs, unfamiliar cats, and strange food overwhelmed her. She opened her eyes to bright, unnatural light to see herself locked in some silver mesh that prevented her from doing anything but stretch a little. In a panic she turned her back to the side that faced all the other cages, closing her eyes and putting her ears flat against her head to block out the noise. She gradually adjusted to her surroundings when she heard a voice behind her, and it seemed almost soothing.

"Little one, there's no need to be afraid. I'm right across from you." Spottedpaw slowly shifted in her cage to face the voice. Across from her, a she saw a she-cat looking at her with concern in her eyes. There were two rows of cages stacked next to and on top of each other, most of which contained a cat. "It's alright, nothing will hurt you in here." Her eyes flicked to the cage next to you, where a dark tom lay sleeping. "Well, almost nothing."

"What is this place?" Spottedpaw asked the pure white she-cat in a shaky voice. "The twolegs call it an animal shelter, where different twolegs walk in every day to take you to their house to make you their pet." Spottedpaw instantly made the connection. "You mean a kittypet?" When the she-cat tilted her head questioningly, Spottedpaw explained. "A cat who wears something around their neck, and lives with some twolegs and eat rabbit droppings for food." The she-cat snorted, "It's not the best thing in the world, but you don't have to make it sound quite like that." The she-cat paused, then spoke again, "My name is Sky. What's yours?" "Spottedpaw." Sky looked down at Spottedpaw's pure white paws, "They aren't very spotted…" she meowed. "My name isn't meant to be literal; it's just what my parents named me. Why are you called Sky?"

Sky stared at Spottedpaw for a few moments before tilting her head back to laugh, "Well, aren't you just a clever one? I guess my parents just named me that as well. Tell me, how did you end up in here?" Surprised that the she-cat had drawn her into a conversation so easily, Spottedpaw settled down as comfortably as she could in the cage and began to explain. She talked about her clan, her family, and how she had been made an apprentice. At many points, Spottedpaw had to pause in her story to explain certain elements of clan-life, but eventually she made it to how she got stolen by twolegs, then ended up in here. Spottedpaw concluded her story by asking, "Do you know where the lake is?" Sky shook her head, replying "Sorry Spottedpaw, but there are lakes everywhere. And the twolegs travel fast in their cars…you said you call them monsters. You could have come from any direction in any distance."

Spottedpaw knew the she-cat was only being realistic, but she couldn't help but to let her temper flow a bit. "Well, thanks for the help, Sky," she spat out her name like it was garbage. But Sky ignored her rudeness, her attention had suddenly shifted to the cage next to Spottedpaw. "Watch out!" she yowled suddenly. Spottedpaw barely managed to turn her head when a paw snatched out and latched onto her shoulder fur, dragging her to the mesh separating her from the tom.

"Hello, pretty," the dark tom purred with a hint of menace behind it. "It's been awhile since I've had some fun with a she-cat."Sky snarled at the tom from across the gap, "Let her go, Shade, you dirty mange-ridden fleapelt!" Shade glanced at Sky with mock innocence, still keeping a firm grasp on Spottedpaw. "I only want to share tongues with her! That's all we can do in this cage…"

Spottedpaw was confused. She didn't have the slightest idea was he was talking about! She wriggled in his grasp, trying to escape, but he was too strong. The tom purred meaningfully, "No need to squirm pretty, I just want to feel your tongue, and for you to feel mine," he grinned wickedly as he said the words, and he pushed his muzzle through the mesh to draw his tongue up Spottedpaw's chest slowly, pressing hard enough to break through the dappled orange-and-white fur to the skin underneath. Spottedpaw shuttered. Meanwhile Sky smarled furiously at Shade to let her go, but he ignored her.

Shade licked her chest a few more times before lifting his muzzle to hers and looking straight into her eyes. When she looked into them she saw nothing but darkness and an emotion that she couldn't place. He rubbed his muzzle against hers and whispered, "I've cleaned yours, now you clean mine." With that, he lifted his muzzled and puffed out his muscular chest against the mesh, and Spottedpaw knew what he wanted her to do. "No!" Spottedpaw snarled, "Let me go."

Spottedpaw immediately felt claws dig slightly into her flesh on her shoulder and back, where his paws were holding her in place. "C'mon pretty, you'll enjoy it. They always do.." he added darkly. Spottedpaw suddenly had a moment of clarity in her head, remembering a popular move that all warriors knew about. She let herself go limp, and slowly moved her muzzle towards Shade. "Good girl," he muttered, relaxing his grip on her. Quick as a flash, Spottedpaw braced her paws on his chest and pushed with all her might, pushing him away from her. Spottedpaw dragged herself away from the dark tom, spitting. Shade looked just as furious as Spottedpaw at having been outsmarted. "You better watch your tail, pretty," Shade snarled. Spottedpaw laid on the opposite side of the cage, far away from Shade's reach.

"Spottedpaw, are you okay?" Sky frantically called across. "Yeah, I'm fine," Spottedpaw muttered. Now she had to figure out where she was and how to get back home, and watch out for this tom. _Is the entire world against me? _Spottedpaw thought in hopelessness. _How can I possibly get back home when there is no one to help me, but plenty to things to hurt me? _Pushed back into despair, Spottedpaw, ignoring Sky's frantic questioning, curled up with her back to everyone in the corner of the cage away from Shade's side. She closed her eyes, and on the verge to sleep, thoughts flew through her mind, out of her control, _Redpaw promised he'd protect me, but he can't now. I'm on my own. Oh, I want to see him so badly again. But I won't, and when I die I probably won't even go to Starclan because I'm too far away. _With the disturbing thought crossing through her mind, Spottedpaw gladly let herself drift into sleep.


	6. Note

Readers,

Just a note, if anyone has any ideas for the story, or any advice on writing, I would forever appreciate it!

Regards,

WarriorCats Variable


	7. Chapter 6

Spottedpaw opened her eyes to the usual bright light of the den she was held captive in. _It's been almost two moons since I've been imprisoned in here. Great Starclan, I gotta get out of this stinking cage. _She had been drifting in and out of depression, being hopeful for several days, before becoming pessimistic and hopeless, then switching back again.

To escape the pain, she spent most of her time sleeping. Every other moment was spent talking with other cats, mostly Sky. Luckily, some twoleg had decided to "adopt" Shade a couple days after he had tried to….touch her. Spottedpaw had pried Sky with questions about Shade's strange behavior towards her, but she always said she was too young to understand, and not to worry about it since he was gone.

Through her discussions with Sky, Spottedpaw had learned a lot about her and the twoleg world. Apparently Sky had been born as a kittypet, but she quickly got bored of her kittypet life and managed to rip off her collar and run away to live life as a loner. Of course, it hadn't gone well since the twolegs managed to capture her. Spottedpaw also learned a lot about Sky's personality. She was overly optimistic, and once a conversation started, it took ages to end it.

Sky also told her about the den they lived in, and about how some twolegs always looked for stray cats with no collar to put them in here. Then they would feed and shelter them to no benefit of their own, and strange, new twolegs strolled in everyday to stare at the cats and pick on out. "No one really understands why they go through so much trouble for this…but it is what it is I suppose," explained Sky.

Both Spottedpaw and Sky had tried to mess with the latch that kept the doors on their cages closed, but after long, frustrating hours and bleeding claws, they both gave up. Their only chance to get out would to be adopted by twolegs. "I hope you and I are taken by the same twoleg," Sky would say constantly. While Spottedpaw agreed, she knew the chances of that were extremely slim. In fact, the chances of either of them being adopted at all seemed slim. Spottedpaw shivered as she recalled a conversation she had heard between a tom and a she-cat earlier.

"Do you know what happens to unwanted cats in these dens?" a gray tom with black stripes had asked the she-cat in a deep voice. "No…" the blue she-cat had been terrified. ""The twolegs who take care of us take you away and bring you to the cutter, where they inject something into your body that makes you fall asleep."

"Oh, that's not so bad.." meowed the she-cat before the tom interrupted her, saying, "And you never wake up."

Spottedpaw's flashback disappeared when a young female twoleg came running in, obviously delighted to look at the cats and pick one out to keep as a pet. _Bleh, _Spottedpaw thought, _why would you want a pet?_ _Why can't they just leave us alone? _The young twoleg darted back and forth between different cages, investigating each cat before moving on. She ran up to her cage, looked in, and turned away without a second thought. _What a surprise…_

To Spottedpaw's astonishment, the twoleg walked up to Sky's cage and stared at her for several heartbeats, before sprinting away out of the cage-room. "Guess I scared her away," Sky laughed, but stopped when the young twoleg came back, dragging an older male by the paw to Sky's cage, and pointed at it. The male twoleg and his kit talked for a few moments before calling down the room, and one of the care-takers walked in towards Sky's cage. Spottedpaw's mind whirled as she realized what was happening, _she's being taken away from me! But she's my only friend. I don't want to be alone again. _

As the care-taker opened up Sky's cage and gently held her in his arms to give to the young twoleg, Sky began mewing rapidly. "Spottedpaw, there's nothing I can do to get out of this. I just want to tell you…be strong. Have courage." The twolegs began walking out of exit. "You never know…we might end up living right next to each other." The white she-cat smiled at her weakly before disappearing out of Spottedpaw's sight.

Spottedpaw stared at where Sky had disappeared in shock. _She was the only friendly cat in this shit-hole…_Spottedpaw thought. Spottedpaw's mind drained completely, and she settled down, resting her head on her paws, and looked straight ahead at nothing in particular.

She zoned out so much that she didn't realize a young female twoleg had taken an interest in her until its little finger poked through the cage's mesh and dabbed her lightly on the nose. Surprised, Spottedpaw unsheathed her slaws and slashed at the finger, hissing violently. The twoleg recoiled instantly, just in time to avoid being cut by the dull claws.

Spottedpaw brought herself back to her senses. _That may have been my one and only way out of here! _To her amazement, the twoleg didn't run away crying to her parents. Instead, it put its finger back into her cage. _Wow, I almost cut its finger and it's trying again. Twolegs are stupid. _But Spottedpaw felt gratitude that she had been given a second chance. She tried to put on a cute face and purred, and brought her muzzle towards the twoleg's finger. When the twoleg didn't recoil, Spottedpaw licked it. The little twoleg cried out, removing her finger before bolting out of the cage-room.

_I'm a lost cause…_ Spotted still had the thought in mind when the young twoleg dragged its parents in. It jumped up and down, motioning towards her with its tiny paw, until the older twoleg repeated what Spottedpaw had witnessed earlier that day.

The care-taker walked to her cage, opened the door, and picked her up to place her in the cuddling arms of the young, female twoleg. In a daze, barely registering what was happening, the twoleg carried her out of the cage-room, then out of the den itself.

Outside, snow blanketed the groud in a small layer. Spottedpaw lifted her head and drew in all the smells over her scent glands. While the scent of twolegs heavily lay over everything, just breathing in outside air made Spottedpaw's heart skip in joy. The small twoleg carried her to a shining yellow monster, and placed her in a seat behind where the older twolegs sat, gently wrapping her up in blankets to keep her warm.

Normally, Spottedpaw would've been scared out of her fur, but instead happiness blossomed inside her as she realized that she now had a chance to escape the hands of twolegs completely. Of course, she couldn't jump out of the enclosed monster. But from what she heard of kittypet life, it couldn't be too hard to escape once she arrived at the twoleg den, right?

Spottedpaw dozed in and out of sleep during the car ride, its gentle humming soothing her. The young twoleg had gently stroked her ears for awhile before closing its eyes to fall asleep. Spottedpaw tried to fight off the drowsiness that drew itself closer and closer, but she soon gave in.

Spottedpaw's eyes popped open to blackness. _I'm blind! _Her short burst of horror dissipated as a distant voice began to reach her ears, a voice that she recognized and gladly welcomed. _Redpaw? _She blinked her eyes and willed them to see, but nothing but blackness continued to surround her. Redpaw's voice continued to drift to her, and she pricked her ears to listen, "_Can you see that star, Spottedpaw? I hope so, because it may be our only connection for a long time. Whatever happens, be strong and brave for me, and come back home. Please." _

Spottedpaw opened her eyes to find herself in a totally strange, new place. _Where am I? _She thought in a panic. Then she realized something was wrapped around her neck. "So that's a collar…" Spottedpaw murmured to herself. She began to remember what had happened. Twolegs had adopted her! They must've carried her into their house and laid her on this…soft thing…probably her new bed.

Her thoughts suddenly turned back towards her dream, which had so cruelly taunted her with the voice of her brother…the voice of home. _Maybe Starclan sent me that message from Redpaw through a dream, _she thought, astounded. She turned around and saw some transparent glass, and she immediately remembered Sky's name for it. _A window. _

Spottedpaw jumped up onto the support directly below the window and stood up on her hind-legs to gaze up into the sky. A star shone brightly, brighter than all the others. _That must be the star Redpaw talked about! _Comforted, Spottedpaw gazed up at the star. Determination coursed through her body. _I'm coming home, Redpaw. No matter how long it takes. _

Spottedpaw continued to stare up at the star, not noticing the silent presence that had entered her room behind her until a deep mew sounded from him. Spottedpaw, surprised, tumbled off the window support and onto the soft floor underneath. She whipped around, unsheathing her claws to confront a large, black tom. With a sinking feeling in her heart, she realized it was the cat she thought she'd never see again. The tom's fur stood smooth against his firm pelt, and unfriendliness glittered in his eyes as he stared back at her. Spottedpaw snarled, "Stay away from me, Shade."


	8. Chapter 7

Spottedpaw stood face to face with the tom for several heartbeats. In those seconds, Spotted realized that she had made a mistake. The tom stood a little taller and had a different scent than Shade, but the most evident contrast was the deep scar that ran up the side of his neck up his right check, ending right at the corner of his eye.

As Spottedpaw remained crouched down with her claws unsheathed, she continued to stare at the tom, stunned by the similarity between him and Shade. Quickly, she shook her head and returned back to her senses.

"I said, stay away from me," Spottedpaw fiercely repeated, lifting her right front paw to show off her blunt claws. To her fury, the tom's eyes just widened momentarily before he calmly replied, "you won't do much damage with claws like that. They're blunt and puny. And my name's not Shade."

"I don't care. Leave me alone," Spottedpaw spat, still containing the fierceness in her mew. The tom's eyes narrowed and Spottedpaw tensed, waiting for him to make a move. Rather, he shrugged and turned away from her, padding towards the door without so much as glancing back at her.

Right before he exited the room, he meowed in a deep and somewhat intimidating voice, "Wait there for a couple seconds…" before padding out the room.

_Stupid tom, _thought Spottedpaw. _How can I go to sleep now, knowing some other strange cat it living in the same den as me? _Spottedpaw stared indecisively at the door where the tom had disappeared, and realized she still hadn't gotten his name, nor had he gotten hers. _Oh well, it doesn't matter. I'm going to be leaving this place soon anyway. I'll leave tomorrow! But I still need to be able to get rest._

At the moment her thought had registered, the tom came back in rear-end first, dragging some cloth with him. "here…" he gruffly mewed, dragging the cloth over to her bed and ungraciously throwing it on. "This is the coldest room in the house."

"Um.." Spottedpaw mumbled uncertainly, but he interrupted her before she said anything. "I just don't want you to wake me up in the middle of the night." With that, he stalked out of the room before Spottedpaw could get over her surprise at the gesture.

_It's probably some stupid trick. I need to be able to keep him out of here somehow._

Spottedpaw padded up to the entrance and realized that some slab of wood pivoted back and forth when she hit it. _Maybe…_ She began to push the wood slab towards the entrance. She kept pushing on it until a soft click sounded. _There we go…now he can't get in, or at least not without me knowing about it. _Comforted by the thought, she padded over to her bed, lied down, and closed her eyes.

_It is kind of cold in here. _She temporarily opened her eyes, using her paws to drag the soft cloth over herself, then put her head back down. Moments later, her snores echoed softly against the walls of the den.

Spottedpaw felt the warmth of a beam of sunlight penetrating through the cloth she had wrapped over her as she woke up.

As she awakened to consciousness, she felt the smothering presence of the blanket on her, and momentarily forgot how she had wrapped herself in it last night. In a panic, she unsheathed her claws and wreathed inside the blanket until she threw it off of herself, accidentally clawing a small rip through it.

"Starclan damnit!" Spottedpaw snarled. She glanced around the room, seeing that the door was still closed, and she detected no new scents. _No one's been in here since I closed the wood thing…that's one good thing. _

Spottedpaw padded up to the door and looked it up and down, trying to figure out how to open it. The only abnormality in it was a metallic stick facing parallel with the door, and when she jumped up and hit it the door opened. Rather than feeling accomplished, Spottedpaw felt a sense of fear course through her.

_I'm becoming a kittypet! I have to leave today before I get too soft. Wrapping myself in cloths for warmth and learning about twoleg stuff…I'm hardly an apprentice of Thunderclan now!_

Spottedpaw quickly padded out of the room into a dimly lit corridor, where she spotted some steps going down. Enticing odors wafted up form them, and Spottedpaw heard her stomach growl. Making up her mind, she decided to investigate.

She padded down the stairs cautiously and ended up in another room with hard flooring. Spottedpaw unsheathed her claws to feel the strange ground, before whipping around to see the same tom from last night. His head was dipped into a bowl lapping up some water.

When he lifted his head he noticed her. Barely glancing at her, he quickly mewed, "the twolegs gave you some food over here, in this bowl," indicating the place with a nod of his head right in front of him. Then, he turned around and disappeared through some flap that was part of another door.

Spottedpaw shook her head before walking to the bowl, and saw some pellets. _So those are the rabbit droppings. _It held an unnatural scent of meat that had a metallic tang to it. But when Spottedpaw's belly growled again, she shrugged and dove into the food.

Once she had devoured the pellets, she tried some of the water the tom had been drinking early, but retreated, her lips curling over her teeth in disgust. _Tastes like somebody mixed snake blood and mouse shit together and called it a drink, _she thought.

Just then, she smelled the scent of outdoors tempting her through the flap the tom had gone through. Without a second thought, she bolted out through the flap outside.

As she emerged from the flap, she stopped to take everything in. The sun shone brightly in the sky, but a light blanket of snow covered patches of grass, rocks, a wooden fence, and a sparse amount of trees. "Time to figure out where I am," she muttered to herself.

She padded across a small stretch of grass to a tree. She smarmed up to the top of the tree and glanced around. "Oh Starclan…" Every way she turned, all Spottedpaw could see was row after row of houses and what seemed like hundreds of grass patches covered in snow.

Spottedpaw's heart plummeted until she looked closer and saw a smudge of green on the horizon. She continued to stare at it until she realized what is was. _A forest! _She still had no idea where she was, but she knew the first step would be to get to there.

Immediately determined, Spottedpaw dropped out of the tree and began padding in that direction. "How was your meal?" A voice from behind made her jump in the air. Whipping around, she confronted the tom.

He tilted his head, looking her up and down. As heartbeats of silence stretched out, he repeated himself, "Did you get enough food?"

When she still refused to reply, he snorted. "I caught a mouse. You want it?"

Spottedpaw nodded, and the tom jumped over the wooden fence, fetched a mouse he had stored there, and jumped back over. He padded up to her, dropping it at her paws, before backing away. His eyes no longer held the unfriendliness they had last night. Instead, Spottedpaw couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Th…thank you…" she stuttered out. Staring down at the mouse, she suddenly felt herself reminded of Thunderclan and the forest, with the sounds and smells of mice everywhere. She snapped out of her thoughts as she realized her eyes had become watery.

Lifting her head proudly, Spottedpaw announced more confidently, "Thank you. But I'm not hungry. And I can catch my own."

The tom regarded her for a moment, clearly uninterested in the mouse. "My name is Night. What's yours?" "Uhh..Spottedpaw."

To her annoyance, his gaze immediately went to her paws, obviously looking for spots. But he didn't comment. Instead, he looked up and ordered, "Eat the mouse. I can tell you want it." To give her some privacy, he went up the fence and sat down, looking out past a thin stretch of grass that faced the backs of other twoleg dens.

Feeling guiltily happy, Spottedpaw ate the mouse in a couple of bites, then buried it in a hole underneath a bush. As she padded out, Night turned to her again, sensing she had finished. He nodded to a spot beside him on the fence. "Sit here, so we can talk."

Dubiously, Spottedpaw placed herself beside him, but kept some spacing in between them, but Night didn't seem to mind.

In the uncomfortable silence, Spottedpaw couldn't help but to glance at the scar that sliced across his neck and face. She shifted her paws awkwardly until Night spoke, "Who's Redpaw?"

"Excuse me?"

"I heard you say his name right before I walked in to your room last night," Night turned his dark eyes on her.

Spottedpaw studied her paws before answering, "He's my littermate." Night continued to stare at her, and a strange need to tell another cat everything she had experienced overwhelmed her.

Spottedpaw started from the beginning of the story, how Amberpaw had been killed, how she had been kidnapped, how Shade had acted, and on and on. The words tumbled out of her mouth so quickly she didn't realize she was becoming short of breath until she finished, panting.

During her story, Night had stared out straight ahead, flicking his ears occasionally to indicate he was listening. When she finished, he turned his dark gaze on her again, "So now you're going to try to get back home?"

Spottedpaw nodded.

"You shouldn't travel during winter. It's too cold and the weather's too unpredictable," Shade advised.

Spottedpaw met his gaze, glaring. "I can't wait an entire season just to start traveling! My family probably thinks I'm dead! Besides, what do you know? You're a kittypet."

Night's eyes suddenly flashed with malice, and Spottedpaw stepped back, just then wondering how he had gotten his scar. "If you travel during winter, then that must mean kittypets are a hell of a lot smarter than _warriors_," he spat the last word out scathingly.

Night stepped forward, opening his jaws to say more, but Spottedpaw, realizing his height advantage and strength, bolted down on the outside of the fence and sprinted away from Night, his stance radiating danger.

Spottedpaw continued to run down the stretch in between the twoleg dens, through alleys and other twoleg yards, running until her legs could no longer support her weight. She let herself collapse once she was sure Night hadn't run after her.

Spottedpaw dragged herself to a puddle for a long drink, before looking up to gather in her surroundings. She had run far, and she realized she had entered a different part of the twoleg town. Here, the houses were less kept up, and the one closest to her was a complete wreck.

Her brain whirling, she sat in a huddle catching her breath until she suddenly scented cats. Spottedpaw instinct's immediately detected danger in the mix of confusing smells.

_I recognize one of those smells…_

It took moments for her to put the scent to a name. _Shade. _

Spottedpaw scrambled to her paws and faced a random direction, walking hurriedly away from the abandoned building, when a pleased meow reached Spottedpaw's ears from behind.

Turning around, she saw to her horror that 2 toms had emerged from the nest. One of them made direct eye contact with Spottedpaw, his eyes taunting and full of the same mysterious emotion he had when he tried to force her to groom him.

Spottedpaw shook her head wildly, closing her eyes and reopening them, her paws glued to the ground in shock as the toms advanced towards her. Spottedpaw desperately hoped that she had mistaken his identity, but she knew deep in her mind that one of the cats advancing towards her was indeed Shade.


	9. Chapter 8

Before Spottedpaw could force her body to action, the two toms swarmed her, one on each side. Shade leaned over and grabbed Spottedpaw's scruff between his teeth and roughly began to drag her to the den while the other tom pushed her from time to time from behind.

Together, they dragged her through a torn up hole in the wall of the twoleg den, moving her towards a darkly lit room towards the center of the den.

"We're gonna have so much fun together," Shade snarled into her ear as he momentarily paused to catch his breath before continuing to drag her.

Once they reached the small room, the two toms forced Spottedpaw onto her belly, smirking. "Look, Shade, she already has a collar on. Let's leash her up."

Shade nodded and padded into another part of the building. Spottedpaw could barely hear him shuffling around over the pounding blood in her hears from the terror.

He quickly returned dragging some long, sturdy looking twoleg thing. He walked over to Spottedpaw and flipped her over onto her back, holding her shoulders down with is strong paws. He leaned forward to somehow attach the rope to her collar, then wrapped it around a pole-like object to the side of the room.

As soon as he let her, Spottedpaw flipped back over to her belly and tried to scramble to her paws, but the other tom smacked her hard on the nose, causing it to bleed.

"Don't stand up unless we permit you, she-cat," the tom snarled.

Spottedpaw didn't try to argue, but instead obeyed immediately, dropping to a submissive crouch on the ground. But Shade wasn't impressed by her obedience.

"Gather some brambles and tie her down," Shade ordered. The tom dipped his head, replying "yes sir," before darting away. He soon returned holding some brambles with a few thorns protruding from the vines.

Working together, the two toms tied each of her front paws to objects on the side of the room, making her barely able to move. When the tom moved to tie her hind paws, Shade intervened.

"That won't be necessary," he mewed mockingly, "and I want to get started as soon as possible anyways."

Shade approached Spottedpaw's form, tied down belly facing the ground, her white front paws tied down neatly beside each other. He stopped when his front toes barely brushed hers.

"Where were we last time?" he began to act out. "Oh yeah, we were grooming each other. But you never had the pleasure of licking my chest." He smiled down at her gently, but Spottedpaw could tell he had an act up, and that he was enjoying it.

He knelt down, his front paws still touch hers, until her muzzle was right at the bottom of his chest. "Lick," he ordered. But Spottedpaw refused. "Lick, or I'll have to punish you, sweetie," he whispered into her ear, his lips brushing the tips.

"Punish me? What are you talking about?" Spottedpaw snarled.

He answered her question by unsheathing his claws into her front paws, piercing the skin to draw blood. Spottedpaw whimpered and tried to look up at Shade but he placed his head over hers so she couldn't. She felt his claws begin to rip more at her paws, so she knew she had no other choice.

Hesitantly, Spottedpaw drew her tongue up his fur, tasting a small amount of dirt and grit. Shade's claws still dug into her, so she licked over and over again, cleaning out his fur. Before he hurt her anymore, she did what he did to her, and pressed her tongue hard enough against his solid frame to reach the skin underneath his fur.

Shade trembled in pleasure as he felt the small tongue groom him, and began to wildly fantasize all the other places that tongue could explore. He couldn't help but to moan when he heard the she-cat whimper against his chest, still continuing to lick.

When Spottedpaw heard Shade moan, she pulled back, confused. Shade decided to end that particular scene there, and he stepped back a few paces and looked down at his new slave.

"Remember when you refused to do that at the shelter?" he purred at her. Learning forward, he whispered, "I'm going to have to punish you for that now, and remember what I'll do if you refuse to obey me," Shade finished the sentence by holding up his claws so her eyes could catch the glint of sharpness.

Spottedpaw felt completely overwhelmed at everything Shade was telling her, to the point she felt tears coming to her eyes. "Please, Shade. I don't mean any harm…" Shade silenced her by holding his claws up to her muzzle.

Without another word, Shade stood up and turned around in front of Spottedpaw. He edged backward until his hind paws stood on her front, and he lifted his tail.

Shade continued to his gentle act, and purred over his shoulder at Spottedpaw, "Clean my tailhole with your tongue, slave."

"What!?" Spottedpaw gasped, but just as before, Shade unsheathed his hind claws into her front paws. Immediately, she remembered his earlier threat. But how could she clean his…his tailhole? _That's disgusting…_

Shade purred over his shoulder as she was thinking. "I had mercy on you this time, my slave. I already cleaned it. I just want to humiliate you…"

_What? _But Spottedpaw didn't have time to think. Shade's claws dug deeper in her paws. Reluctantly, Spottedpaw slowly brought her muzzle until her nose brushed the top of his tail, and her mouth was right at the entrance of his tailhole.

Spottedpaw, feeling tears begin to slide down her cheeks now, licked at the surface of the toms' tailhole. She felt his tail wrap around her neck to draw her muzzle into his tailhole, and she began to obediently lick at it.

Spottedpaw whimpered throughout the entire thing, to Shade's delight. He felt the pleasure and sense of dominance course through him as she licked pathetically at his ass.

He used his tail to beckon her head forward until her entire muzzle disappeared into his tailhole. _ , _Shade thought as he felt her tongue explore his butt. He made her continue to lick until he grew tired of the pleasurable feeling at that single spot.

Shade decided to drop the act right then and there. Her padded forward so Spottedpaw's mouth couldn't reach his hindquarters. He lied down in front of her and positioned his sheath beneath her mouth. "Lick, then suck."

Glancing over, Shade spotted his gangmate, Clawtooth. He had watched the whole time, and Shade saw his member out and lust glazing his eyes. Shade beckoned him over to Spottedpaw's hindquarters.

Spottedpaw, utterly bewildered and in shock, obeyed every command the toms gave her from then forward. She was forced to suck on Shade's member until liquid sprayed from it, which he ordered her to swallow.

As she performed what Shade called a "blowjob", the other tom mounted her from behind and thrust his member straight into her core, not waiting for her to adjust. He thrust in and out, humping her until a thick liquid burst inside of Spottedpaw.

The two toms switched positions, making Spottedpaw lick them everywhere they wanted to, and humping her pussy, then her tailhole, until blood soaked the fur on her hindquarters.

Finally, Shade finished his punishment of her, leaving Spottedpaw to finish cleaning Clawtooth's member. Shade watched as her tongue lapped up and down the member, occasionally flicking her tongue out at his balls whenever Clawtooth told her to.

Clawtooth had the slave lick him clean until he felt himself going limp, at which point he stood up and back away, gazing down at Spottedpaw's huddled form with contempt.

When Clawtooth backed away, Spottedpaw raised her head to let out a high-pitch, deafening yowl that echoed throughout the nest and beyond. While Spotted wasn't sure what had just happened, she hated it. Absolutely hated it. She felt used and could feel unconsciousness from blood loss and exhaustion begin to creep up on her. She thought that she could scream the pain out.

But when Shade heard her yowl, he darted forward and raked her ears with his claws. "Shut up, bitch," he hissed. "You belong to us now. In fact, you belong to my entire gang of cats now. You are our _property_."

At that moment, a silent shadow of a large cat crept into the den, unnoticed by Shade and Clawtooth. It crept around through the other rooms, entering the room the three cats sat in. Upon the sight of Spottedpaw, it let out a low growl, but quickly silenced itself. Dropping into a crouch, it stalked behind Clawtooth as he continued to look down at Spottedpaw. It jumped onto Clawtooth's back, viciously hooking his claws into Clawtooth's shoulder and dipping his head to bite Clawtooth's neck, severing the spinal cord with his teeth.

Without so much as a mew, Clawtooth dropped to the mystery tom's paws, dead. Shade instantly ripped his gaze from Spottedpaw's body to the mystery cat, surprised.

Terrified at the sight of Clawtooth's dead body, blood dripping from his head and neck from the killing bite, Shade began to back away, terrified. As Shade stared at the mystery tom while backing away, he opened his jaws to take in the scent. Immediately, his eyes widened, "No, that's impossible," he whispered. Within seconds of uttering the words, Shade quickly turned himself around and sprinted out the den, forgetting completely about Spottedpaw for the moment.

Spottedpaw had witnessed the scene though a dizzying gaze. She felt numbness creep up her legs into her stomach, approaching her brain as she saw the mystery tom turn towards her and walk in straight to her vulnerable form. Spottedpaw barely registered that it was Night before her head dropped like a stone onto her paws, thoroughly blacked out.


	10. Chapter 9

Spottedpaw was dreaming. She had opened her eyes to see that she had been enveloped in some white mist, with thick trees and bushes directly ahead of her. At the edge of the foliage stood her family…Redpaw, her brother, and both her parents Bramblestar and Squirrelflight. Together, they turned around and bolted into the forest, leaving Spottedpaw.

Spottedpaw dashed madly after them, heading to the spot where they had disappeared into. But as she ran, her surroundings slowly transformed until she realized she was running through a forest shadowed by night. While she couldn't see anything, she knew that someone…something…was watching her.

"Redpaw, where are you?" Spottedpaw screeched into the air.

"Squirrelflight, Bramblestar, can you hear me?" Behind her a twig snapped, but when she whipped around to confront the unknown creature, nothing was there but trees and darkness. Panting hard in terror, Spottedpaw crouched down and buried her face into her paws, whimpering, "Where are you…"

Spottedpaw awoke to a soft, black tail and its white tip lightly brushing over her side. She was lying in some soft bed, and with a jolt, Spottedpaw realized that she was back in her twoleg den.

She tried to sit up, but a firm mew stopped her, "Don't get up, you're hurt." Instantly, Spottedpaw recognized Night's voice. Disobeying his order, she tried to sit up anyway, but Night put his paw on her side and pinned her down.

Spottedpaw began to writhe under the large paw, and held her head up to bite it, but Night snatched it away too quickly. His meowed again, exasperated, "I'm not the bad guy! I'm trying to heal you."

Despite the wariness still present inside her mind, Spottedpaw relaxed against Night's solid form. "Good," he said, standing up, "now let me finish treating you." Spottedpaw watched as, just as she had seen Jayfeather do, Night gathered a few Marigold leaves and began to chew them lightly, then spreading the pulp onto her wounds to kill off any infection.

As Night put medicine over her wounds, Spottedpaw's mind began to think again. _Why is he helping me? And how did he find me? How does he know about herbs? And where on earth did he learn the warrior's deathbite?_ As she continued to think, her thoughts drifted back to what had happened earlier. She remembered how Shade, when he had finished with her, had looked down at her in the eye and purred triumphantly at her, "I raped you, pretty. You're mine forever…"

Spottedpaw jumped out of the memory when Night lightly mewed, "Alright, I'm finished. Now get some rest, we will talk later."

With that, Night pulled the same blanket she had used last time over her gently, nudging it into place so it safely engulfed her in it. Spottedpaw could feel the hole she had put in it, but Night didn't seem to notice. Spottedpaw opened her jaws to say something, but e turned around and padded silently out of the room, leaving Spottedpaw to return to the dark trance of sleep.

This time, she slept so deeply that no dreams disturbed her, to her gratitude. When she awoke, she looked out the window to see that the sun was just about to set. _How long have I been sleeping? _Spottedpaw thought groggily.

Hauling herself to her paws, she trudged out of the room and down the stairs, stopping momentarily to take a drink of water, ignoring the disgusting brown food pellets, then walked outside.

Immediately, she spotted Night sitting on top of the fence, almost in the same exact spot where they had argued before…Spottedpaw shook her head before she thought of that again.

Night quickly noticed her approach and jumped down towards her, a fluffy squirrel in his mouth. He dropped it at her paws and turned his back to her, uttering only a single word: "eat."

Spottedpaw, unable to ignore her grumbling stomach, bent her head and devoured the squirrel. When she had finished, Night turned around from gazing over the fence and leapt back down to her, refusing to make eye contact. He sniffed at her pelt, carefully inspecting the wounds he had treated.

"The marigold has done its job by now," he meowed shortly, "It'd be best to wash it off with some clean water." He turned around, still not looking her in the eyes, and bounded up the fence and disappeared on the opposite side. Awkwardly, Spottedpaw followed him.

Once they both had jumped the fence, Night led her away from the twoleg nest. Spottedpaw followed warily, wondering whether or not to trust him. _If he's helping me like this he must at least not want to hurt me…_Spottedpaw forced herself to think.

She followed Night for a short period of time until she heard the light trickle of water from a stream. He led her to an enclosed spot surrounded by some bushes, into which he promptly disappeared into, throwing a quick command over his shoulder, "Follow me."

Obediently, Spottedpaw slowly stepped into the enclosement to see Night standing by a shallow pool. To her surprise, he now looked at her steadily in the eye, his dark eyes unreadable. He beckoned her over with a paw and ordered much like a medicine cat, "Get into the pool and wash the marigold off your fur. Then your wounds can naturally heal."

Uncertainly, Spottedpaw did as he told her, walking into the pool and using her paws to splash up the cool water onto her legs, chest, and belly. But she couldn't reach her back. She tried scooping up water and putting it on her back, but it didn't work, and she didn't want to soak her entire body in the stream.

Suddenly she felt Night's presence beside her in the pool. He looked at her again with his searching dark gaze, and Spottedpaw couldn't help but be reminded of Shade and the same dark eyes.

"May I?" Night asked her. Spottedpaw nodded, and Night scooped up pawfuls of water and rubbed it onto her fur gently, scrubbing the marigold off. When he finished, he backed away out of the pool and turned out of the cove. "I'll wait here until you get yourself dried," he called over his shoulder.

Spottedpaw, deciding not to think too hard about the situation, got out of the water and licked herself dry, grooming her fur down until it shone cleanly except for deep scars that laced her back, sides, and belly.

Spottedpaw walked out of the cove to see Shade sitting by a tree, watching her exit with a calm gaze. He nodded to a grassy spot beside him, mewing "Sit here. I've words I want to share with you."

_He sounds like he wants to scold an apprentice…_Spottedpaw thought, but she settled herself down next to him on his left, just close enough to feel static causing their fur to brush together lightly. Spottedpaw decided to bring the situation into her control, looking squarely at Night and boldly declaring, "What is it?"

Obviously Night felt no need to answer her question. Instead, he gazed at her until Spottedpaw felt her insides trembling, feelings coursed through her as she remembered everything that had happened, and how Night had rescued her.

Before she knew it, she felt her neck muscles gave out and she buried her nose into her paws, tears forming around her eyes. She didn't want to talk about what she had experienced. It was too terrible. But some unknown force in her compelled her to lift the burden off herself by telling another cat.

Spottedpaw began to stutter through her paws and muffled sobs, getting straight to the point, "he raped me, Night. Those two t..toms, they dragged me into their den and tied me down. Th…then they made me..made me…" Spottedpaw lifted her head and looked at Night, then dropped her gaze down to his paws. "I was too weak to fight them," she whispered as Night listened intently. "I deserved what they did to…" before Spottedpaw finished speaking Night interrupted her with a snarl.

"You did _not_ deserve that!" he snarled, "No cat deserves it. Shade and his gang do nothing but hurt others for no reason. They don't care about others."

When Spottedpaw continued to stare wretchedly down at the ground, she saw from the corner of her eye an expression of compassion and care that she hadn't seen in Night before. He pressed himself tightly against her and comfortingly licked her ears, mewing between licks, "Spottedpaw…you shouldn't be ashamed." Night buried his muzzle into the top of her head, his whiskers tickling her ears.

But Spottedpaw took little comfort from Night's reassurance. "They..they made me lick them…everywhere. They humiliated me." Spottedpaw looked the opposite way from Night, whispering just loud enough for Night to hear, "I wish they had killed me instead."

To her surprise, Night's simple response was, "I don't." He dared to lower his head to hers and began to lightly lick her cheek until she turned her face towards him again. "Spottedpaw, last time we talked, I told you that you wouldn't make it back to your clan on your own." He paused, then quietly said, "I made you run away when we argued. I scared you into thinking I wanted to hurt you," his eyes flashed with guilt before continuing, "I didn't mean to…" he broke off, uncertain what to say.

He looked at Spottedpaw with a deep sadness and guilt. "If you have anyone to blame, it's me," he meowed, surprising Spottedpaw. "I intimidated you and made you run off into my brother's territory…" Spottedpaw's head snapped rigid with tension, and she shifted away from Night.

She kept her voice cool as she questioned, "Shade is your brother. That's why you look almost identical to him.." Suddenly the pieces fit together. Their related looks, and when Shade had been shocked at scenting his brother's scent in the wrecked twoleg den.

Spottedpaw stared at Night and lifted her paw, unsheathing her claws threateningly. She knew she was being unfair. Night had saved her life, brought her back to safety, helped treat her wounds, fed her…the list went on and on. But she couldn't forget Shade as he clawed her and tied her down, made her groom him and raped her with his gangmate. And on top of that, every time she thought of Shade, Night's similar face popped into her mind.

Spottedpaw continued to hold her claws up, hissing, "I don't believe you! I think you planned it out with Shade to chase me there. Now you want me to trust you. It's like some sick game. But I won't fall for it!"

As she spoke, Night's head dropped with shame. He _did _blame himself for scaring Spottedpaw off into Shade's territory, and not being able to find her in time, not until he had heard her scream penetrating the walls of the twoleg den his brother had tied her up in.

Shuddering at the memory, Night bowed his head and lifted his eyes to Spottedpaw's. "I'm not like Shade, I promise," he whispered, desperate to convince her, but she hissed away his pleading. "You're lying! I should kill you right now…but Shade is probably watching us waiting to back you up..you stupid, lying, piece of foxdung!"

Night turned his black head away from her, and as he did so, his scar shone clearly in the dying sunlight. Spottedpaw stopped her rambling and threats and stared at the scar, slowly coming back to her senses.

Once again, she remembered Night's gentle care, before and after Shade had raped her. "Night…I…I'm so sorry," Spottedpaw stumbled up to Night and pressed her side against his. He turned his face away from her again, hiding the scar, but Spottedpaw did just the same thing that Night did to her. She licked his cheek until he turned back to her, and she could tell his eyes were filled with guilt…and something else, something that reminded her of Squirrelflight when she had cared for her in the nursery.

Carefully, Spottedpaw sheathed her claws and lifted her paw to run it along the scar on the side of his face. Night closed his eyes and didn't move, expecting her to unsheathe her claws any moment. He knew for certain that he couldn't fight her back.

But she never did. Instead, she quietly murmured, "How did you get this scar?" Night looked at Spottedpaw, surprised, but answered with honesty, "Shade."

When Spottedpaw tilted her head questioningly, obviously wanting to know more, he hesitantly began explaining, "I had two littermates, Shade and a sister named Dusk. Our mother took care of us until she died just a few weeks after giving birth to us from a disease."

Night paused and gulped, and Spottedpaw felt a surge of sympathy for the dark tom and rested a paw on top of his before he continued, "We would probably have all died if a gang, they call themselves the snakes, hadn't took us in. But..but you see…they didn't want to help us. They wanted to recruit us, and make sure we were raised loyal and bloodthirsty. So they told Shade and I to kill our sister."

At that point, Night began to shake from the unwanted memory. "I didn't want to do it, but Shade said that it was our only chance. So he did it. He just walked up to Dusk, and…he bit her throat. The clan took Shade in, but they knew I hadn't wanted to kill Dusk. So they gave me this scar, then let me run away. Our twolegs took me in, and here I am." He finished weakly, and he rested his head onto Spottedpaw's shoulder.

"If you're weak, then I must be the most pathetic cat in the world," Night muttered. "I couldn't protect Dusk, I couldn't keep Shade from the path he chose, and I..I.." Night looked into Spottedpaw's eyes closely, so close she could taste his breath, "I couldn't protect you either."

By now, the sun had just sunk below the horizon, casting darkness around Spottedpaw and Night.

Spottedpaw sat upright and looked down at Night. "Maybe…maybe neither of us is weak. And it wasn't your fault, Night. Nothing of what you told me is your fault."

Night sat up next to her and rested his muzzle on top of her head, sighing softly, when he stepped back and looked at her again, his eyes bright. "Well, you know what we need to do now?"

Spottedpaw shook her head, "No, I don't."

Night purred, "We have to find your clan! But I still stand by what I said earlier. _You _can't make the journey during leaf-bare." Spottedpaw opened her jaws to protest, but Night beat her to it, triumphantly proclaiming, "So that's why we will make the journey…together."


	11. Chapter 10

Spottedpaw awoke the next day, blinking her eyes rapidly to wake herself up. She immediately felt excitement stir inside her. _I'm going home soon! _But Night had insisted that they don't leave today, but instead he would train her to hunt and fight for several days before they left. _Just like a mentor…_ Spottedpaw had thought to herself. At first, Spottedpaw had been reluctant to agree, but had finally given in.

She pushed the twoleg blanket off of her and padded out through the open doorway to the top of the stairs. She looked down to see Night eating his normal breakfast of twoleg pellets. Spottedpaw leaped down the stairs in excitement and blundered into Night, throwing his body against the wall with a large _thump._

"Sorry, Night," Spottedpaw gasped, appalled for a moment.

Night turned towards her with his usual neutral stare, "It's fine. I know you're excited, but you have to concentrate now." He turned around and beckoned her outside with his tail. "I caught something for you already."

Spottedpaw followed him, still feeling guilty about running into him, and now feeling even guiltier because he put so much effort into giving her freshkill. When she emerged outside Night nudged a starling towards her.

Numb with embarrassment, Spottedpaw mumbled, "Thanks Night, I'm really grateful, but you don't have to hunt for me like this. I can eat the twoleg stuff."

Before she finished speaking, Night already shook his head, replying, "Don't worry about it, you needed to rest really badly. Besides, I don't want to listen to you complain about the food anymore than you already do," he stated with a trace of amusement in his voice.

Hesitantly, she walked up to the bird and quickly dispatched of the Starling with rapid bites while Night stretched his back and legs in the grass yard. When she finished, she tossed the remains into a bush and padded over to Night.

"Alright, let's start," Night began confidently, but he paused and suddenly became to look uncertain, as if in indecision. "Have you learned the hunter's crouch yet, or how to stalk prey?" When Spottedpaw shook her head, he regained his composure and began by showing her the crouch before having her try it. He padded around her and used his heavy, black paw to adjust her position here and there until she had the crouch just right.

Night stepped back, checking her over one more time before ordering, "Right, that's good. Now stand up then go back into it to see if you can get it right on your own…"

For the rest of the morning, just like mentor and apprentice, Night and Spottedpaw practiced scenting, tracking, and stalking. They left the twoleg yard several times to practice it out for real, but either they didn't find anything, or Spottedpaw accidentally scared prey away with a mistake.

Every time she messed up, she would turn back to Night expecting to see disappointment or impatience, but he always remained uplifting, giving her tips on what she did wrong and how to avoid them again.

To Spottedpaw's embarrassment, much later in the day she still hadn't caught anything but she had grown hungry, and Night decided to hunt while Spottedpaw watched his technique, and he managed to catch a mouse on his first try.

Spottedpaw had felt disheartened, and mewed to Night, "I don't think I'll ever get this down." But Night reassured her, "Nonsense, this is your first day. C'mon, let's eat this and try again, I know you can do it."

Companionably, they ate the mouse side by side, taking alternative bites from the mouse until it lay devoured, which Night buried. "Alright, I want you to catch something now. I'll watch you from a distance." Spottedpaw nodded and set off.

She padded over towards the stream she and Night had sat by the day earlier. She felt her ears grow warm as she recalled their open conversation the previous day, but she dismissed the thought and concentrated. She followed the gently winding stream between houses until she reached a small field with tall, brown grass. She halted and pricked her ears, opening her mouth to draw in the scents.

_There! _She spotted a gray mouse digging away at the dirt at the base of a plant. Crouching down into the familiar hunting stance, Spottedpaw listed off the directions in her mind. _Check the wind direction, stay low, keep my tail still, don't step on anything..._

Spottedpaw approached the unsuspecting mouse until she was within pouncing distance. She wriggled her haunches slightly before hurtling herself at the mouse, slicing her paw down to break its spine instantly. It twitched and fell dead at her paws, and Spottedpaw felt a thrill of accomplishment fill her.

Proudly, Spottedpaw dipped her head to pick up the mouse delicately in her jaws and padded up to Night, who stood nodding approvingly to her. "Good job, your form was perfect," he praised her.

Spottedpaw, unable to reply because of the mouse, suddenly had an idea. She went up to stand before Night, and bowed her head to humbly set the mouse down at her paws. Lifting her head, she looked into his eyes and meowed, "For you."

For a few moments, Spottedpaw was sure he would refuse the gift as he stood looking at her with surprise. Then his eyes filled with warmth, and he stepped forward to rest his muzzle on her head. "Thank you," he whispered, before crouching down and eating the mouse. Spottedpaw proudly watched him eat it, her spirits higher than it had been for days.

* * *

><p>Spottedpaw hit the ground hard, sending dust flying into the air and onto her pelt. Ignoring it, she scrambled to her paws and reared up on her hindlegs, presenting her forepaws in front of her with claws unsheathed. A fox-length away, Night crouched low and began to prowl around her, growling.<p>

Spottedpaw remained balanced expertly on her paws, following Night's motion carefully, inspecting every sign he gave her through his eyes and body movements. His eyes suddenly went to her drawn out paws and Spottedpaw braced herself, expecting him to jump at her, but instead he darted in low and fast and grabbed her hindpaw in his teeth, careful not to split the skin.

With an expert flick of his head, he quickly made her lose her balance and fall to her side, and he jumped on her and pinned her down by her shoulders. "Got you!" he meowed smugly, getting off of her to let her up.

Spottedpaw got to her paws and scuffed them in the sand in embarrassment. "I should've seen that coming," she admitted. "Well, yes, you should be prepared for your enemy to strike anywhere. But you mastered balancing on your hindpaws, and your other fighting moves are nearly perfect," he reassured her.

It had been about a whole moon since the first day they had begun training. While Spottedpaw hadn't wanted to wait that long to begin their journey, she knew it was wise. _What's the point of starting early if we both end up dead?_ Spottedpaw constantly thought to herself.

They had trained hard, with Night drilling her in hunting techniques, fighting, and even going on runs through twolegplace to get stronger. Spottedpaw had grown strong and sleek, her claws had sharpened to a razor point, and she had grown much taller, with the top of her head just reaching Night's jaw.

She was jolted out of her memories when Night poked her lightly in the ribs. "Let's try one more time, and then call it a day." Spottedpaw went to the other side of the clearing and crouched down, signaling she was ready for the fight.

The two cats approached each other methodically, staying on their toes and looking for any vulnerable points to take advantage of. They began to circle around the center of the sandy clearing, trying to intimidate each other by baring their teeth or growling threateningly.

For the first time, Night made the very first move. He darted towards her side before swerving to the other, kicking out at her shoulder as he flashed by to knock Spottedpaw off her feet. She tumbled to the side and Night took advantage, jumping on her to pin her again. But Spottedpaw maneuvered herself onto her back quick as a flash and planted her hindpaws into his chest as he landed on her, and she pushed him away with a mighty kick.

He sailed through the air until he landed on his back in the sand. Before he could push himself to his paws, Spottedpaw jumped on him, pinning his black shoulders down with her white paws, one hindpaw on his belly and another at the base of his tail, leaving him completely helpless.

Spottedpaw purred triumphantly, and began to act out, "Well, well, well, what do I have here? A prisoner?" Night went limp beneath her paws and looked up at her, scowling. Spottedpaw lifted on paw off his shoulders and tapped his nose playfully before continuing, "The big, strong Night, pinned down by a training she-cat!"

At that, Night exploded upwards with a force so sudden Spottedpaw was flung down on her back, and before she knew it she was the one being pinned in the exact same position she had pinned Night in. Amusement glittered in his eyes and he mischievously mewed, "Well, well, well, is this a pest beneath my paws?"

Spottedpaw tried to wriggle out of his grasp and reach her paws up to throw him off, but he kept his strength on her so she couldn't move. Snorting, Night patted her nose just as she did to him so they were even, before letting her get back to her paws.

They stared at each other, panting heavily as they both got their breath back. Finally Night declared, "I think you're ready. If you agree, I think we should head out tomorrow to go find your home." Spottedpaw nodded in excitement, and she felt her paws lighten up. _Finally! We're going to go find Thunderclan!_

Purring in delight, Spottedpaw nudged Night's shoulder with her muzzle, whispering to keep her voice under control, "Thank you so much."

Night padded to her side and gently laid his tail on her shoulder and together they walked back to the twoleg den side by side.

Spottedpaw had felt her relationship with Night grow more and more, and despite Night's frequent apparent lack of emotion, she felt that deep in him he truly cared about her, and her quest to get back to her clan. _Maybe…once we get back to my clan…_Spottedpaw shook herself out of the thought. Just as Night told her over and over, she had to keep her focus.

Together, they walked into the den and up the stairs to her room. Night led her to her bed and pulled the blanket over her as she settled down. When she had comfortably lied down, Night walked over to her head and licked her ears. Spottedpaw felt the temptation of sleep drawing on her as the she felt the steady rhythm of his tongue, when a question popped into her head.

Without lifting her head, she drowsily said, "What about your home, Night? You were born here, in this twolegplace. And even if you're not close to your brother, he's still your brother."

Night gave her a few more licks to think of a reply before meowing, "Shade isn't a brother of mine. He's just an evil cat who likes to hurt others. And besides," he gave her another lick, "from what you've told me, clan life with Thunderclan sounds amazing. I like my twolegs, and I'm grateful for their care, but there is a better life…for both of us."

Spottedpaw lay still for a second while Night looked down at her, concerned whether or not he managed to convince her, but relief swamped him when she drowsily lifted her head to lick his cheek softly before resting her head and closing her eyes, obviously exhausted from today's training.

Night padded out of the room, but before he exited, he glanced back one more time at Spottedpaw's sleeping form, her slowed breathing lifting her flank up and down peacefully.

_She's so beautiful…_ Night thought, and he whispered across the room to Spottedpaw, "You can trust me, Spottedpaw of Thunderclan. I will get you home to your clan and your brother. Even if it means sacrificing myself."

With that, Night padded out of the room, leaving Spottedpaw sleeping in the silent darkness of the room, the moon casting a shadow over her dappled pelt. Though she had fallen asleep before Night's vow, her ear twitched the moment he turned to go to his own bed.


	12. Chapter 11

Night felt a soft paw shaking his shoulders, and when he kept his eyes shut, claws dug lightly into his ribs, and an audible hiss sounded, "Wake up, Night. Let's get started early!"

Opening his eyes, Night sat up and turned towards Spottedpaw, with her white and orange pelt neatly groomed and her amber eyes glowing. Night purred, "Alright, alright, I'm right with you. We must eat some food before we begin."

Together, Spottedpaw and he padded down the stairs for the last time, but neither of them had second thoughts, only determination. Night detected the young female twoleg's scent by the food bowl, and saw that she had recently filled it up for them. Usually her parents filled it up, but they had left early in the morning and had left their daughter for a short amount of time. _I'll miss her…she took such good care of us, and she helped me in my time of greatest need. But I belong with Spottedpaw now._

Night and Spottedpaw shared the food, and then padded outside into the chilly air of the backyard. Luckily, no snow had fallen recently, so their journey would begin smoothly. Night and Spottedpaw jumped onto the fence and gazed in the direction they would soon be traveling in before looking at each other.

"We're really going to do it," Spottedpaw breathed. Purring, Night pressed his shoulder against her flank and brought his muzzle towards her back, licking affectionately. "Yes," he said confidently, "We are going to find your family and friends...no matter what it takes."

They each tensed up to jump down on the other side of the fence when a huge _clash_ sounded behind them. In unison, Spottedpaw and Night whipped around and stared at the twoleg den. Spottedpaw spoke first, "What was that…?" Her question was followed by a high pitch scream, distinctly sounding like the young female twoleg.

Without so much as a glance, Night and Spottedpaw rushed towards the twoleg den and through the door flap, stopping in shock at what they saw. The young twoleg stood back up in a corner, cowering, while an older twoleg, a male by the scent of it, stood towering over her. He was completely dressed in black, covering his face, and he held a heavy metal rod.

With a small grunt, the man swung the rod at the female, hitting her knee and causing her to screech in terror and agony, making her fall to the floor. Night immediately smelt the thick tang of blood. With a roar of fury and a surge of protectiveness surging over him, he lunged towards the male twoleg, unsheathing his claws.

The twoleg once again brought up his metal rod, aiming straight for her head, but before he could Night plunged his claws as deep he could into the male's calf, and ripped his claws upward to rip through as much skin and muscle as possible, feeling his claws scratch the bone underneath.

Surprised, the twoleg switched his focus on the cat and brought his metal rod swinging full force at Night's body, but Night let go his leg and darted in between them, biting the front of his other leg as he passed. Night was about to dart in between his legs again to stay out of the twoleg's reach when the twoleg's foot lifted and pounded Night's side to the floor, pinning him down.

Night watched through hazy eyes as the metal rod was lifted, but by some miracle the twoleg dropped it before he could swing. _What's happening? _Night thought in his confused daze.

The twoleg spun around of his legs reaching behind his back and screaming for some reason. When Night could register what was happening, he saw Spottedpaw had latched her claws into the twoleg's soft flesh of his back and was hanging on.

Night looked to his side and saw the young female still cowering with her arms over her head, her continuous screeching making it difficult for Night to hear anything else. Suddenly, Night heard the door to the twoleg den crash open again with force. _There's more of them? _ Night thought in despair. _This is great. We're going to all die before we even step foot out of the twoleg den…literally._

But the new twolegs seemed different from the one dressed in black. These ones were clad in blue, and when they turned the corner, they stopped and pointed a small object at the man. Night watched as the scene unfolded before his eyes.

The new twolegs shouted at the man, but as the twoleg stopped writhing from Spottedpaw's clutch and bent down to grab the metal rod, two distinct pops rang out that made Night temporarily deaf. Night continued to stare as the twoleg stopped moving, as if in a trance, before slowly falling over. Night could see that two bloody holes had appeared in him. _Wow…twolegs did something right for a change. _

Night closed his eyes and tried to shake his ears clear, but to no avail. _Find Spottedpaw first…_he thought groggily. Night looked over the man and saw that Spottedpaw's haunches were being crushed by the fallen twoleg. He hauled himself over to her, grabbed her scruff between his teeth and dragged her free. He shouted "To your paws, Spottedpaw! We have to get out of here." But Night realized he couldn't even hear himself talk, all Spottedpaw could see was his moving mouth.

Desperate now as the twolegs dressed in blue approached the dead man with their small objects still pointed towards him, he went behind the frozen Spottedpaw and nudged her towards the door flap. He lightly bit the tip of her tail to help her get the message, and suddenly she bolted out of the door and into the backyard.

Relieved, Night followed her. A moment before he hurtled through the flap, he glanced back to see the blue twolegs gently helping the young female up, supporting her injured knee and shielding her eyes from the sight of the dead man in front of her. Confident she was in safe hands, he bolted after Spottedpaw into the fresh morning air outside.

* * *

><p>Spottedpaw ran petrified over the fence and into the small open space beyond, finding a small bush to cower in. Shaking violently, she sunk to the ground and breathed deeply, burying her face into her paws.<p>

Swirls of memory stirred through her from the violent attack the man did on the young twoleg. Images of Shade and Clawtooth clawing her and raping her overwhelmed her thoughts. _Why do any creatures feel the need to hurt others like this…_Spottedpaw thought in despair. _Is this what the world consists of, nothing but selfish, greedy, lustful, evil things wanting to inflict harm and pain on others?_

She felt a light tailtip brush her flank and the warm presence of Night lay down beside her. He had been so brave and heroic. He had saved the little girl. But when she tried to look at him, she imagined Shade sitting beside her, his lustful eyes gleaming at her as he touched her…

Spottedpaw shoved Night away violently, hissing, "Get away you freak!" As she stared at the tom, she began to see what was really in front of her. Slowly, the image of Shade transformed into Night, his dark gaze filled with distress and sympathy.

Spottedpaw opened her jaws to say something, but Night once again pressed himself against her, murmuring, "It's fine. I understand." Though he sounded compassionate, it had become colder. They sat side by side together in an uncomfortable silence until Spottedpaw's heart slowed down. She didn't speak until she thought she could speak in a smooth voice.

"I still think we should head out now. What do you think?"

Night nodded in agreement, and he helped Spottedpaw to her paws and led her out of the security of the bush. Without nearly as much enthusiasm as they had started with, Night and Spottedpaw walked in the direction they had planned on earlier, with Night slightly ahead of her so that they had a good distance between them.

Sighing quietly, Spottedpaw trudged onwards, following Night as they began their journey.

Several days passed without incident. Spottedpaw and Night had difficulty navigating the massive twolegplace. Though they managed to find food and water, it seemed as if they were making no progress as they traveled by similar looking twoleg nests day after day.

Finally, five days after they had begun, Spottedpaw stopped to look at a tall building, much bigger than the surrounding nests. It had a large grass property surrounding it, and on top of its slanted roof stood a twoleg symbol of some sort made out of wood, one post sticking vertically in the air, the other perpendicular to the vertical post towards the top. Spottedpaw had an idea.

"Night, I'm going to see if I can look over the twoleg nests on top of that big building over there." Night looked reluctant to agree, but Spottedpaw ran towards the den before he could stop her. Carefully, she used boxes and the soft wood of the building to climb up until she reached the roof, then climbed to the top of the wooden symbol on top of the building.

In one direction all Spottedpaw could see was a tremendous amount of twoleg dens stretching out into the distance, with a light, dirty haze filling the air. When she turned around, her heart skipped a beat. _The end of twolegplace! _Beyond lay woodland and open grass, and what seemed to be a gorge of some sort. _Anything but this smelly twoleg shit-hole, _Spottedpaw thought bitterly.

She quickly bounded down the building to Night, skidding to a halt in front of his dark bulk, panting. "If we head that way," Spottedpaw panted and nodding in the proper direction, "We will reach the end of twolegplace."

Night nodded and replied, "Good, let's get out of here before nightfall." Spottedpaw felt disappointed that he still held some coldness from when she had snapped at him. _ I wish I could tell him how much I care about him…_

Shaking the topic away, she trotted in the direction with Night behind her. They padded onward between twoleg nests and across some fields until a strange scent began to reach her nostrils, underneath it all the scent of open air. Spottedpaw faced Night, excited. "Do you smell that? We're close!"

But Night looked wary as he sniffed the air. "We can't go this way," he said shortly. Spottedpaw felt her mind grow confused, and she felt mistrust creep into her.

"Why not?" Spottedpaw questioned, bristling, "It's the quickest way out of here." Somberly, Night looked straight at her. "It's the Snakes' territory. And Shade has been around recently."

Spottedpaw hadn't noticed earlier. She lifted her head and inhaled the scents. Night was correct, about Shade and the overlaying scent of the gang. But there was something else…something sinister…

_Blood! _

Spottedpaw turned towards Night and gasped, "Someone's hurt. We have to help them." Night sniffed the air and mewed uncertainly, "I can't smell anything…" But Spottedpaw knew what she smelt. "I'm going," she declared determinedly, "you can come or stay, I don't care." As she turned around, she instantly regretted the words, but there was no time to think about that now.

Spottedpaw darted forward, past the scent markers and into the territory, towards the scent of blood. She heard pawsteps behind her and knew Night was following her to back her up. _I'll apologize later…_she promised to herself.

Focusing on running, she swerved around a corner where the location of the blood was coming from. What she saw lying there gave her a mix of anger, hatred, grief, and the urge to throw up.

Before Spottedpaw lay the body of Sky. Her once pretty white fur was now stained with mud, and blood dripped off tangles in her fur. Her legs were flexed as though she had died fighting, but Spottedpaw could tell it hadn't been a fight, it had been a rape and slaughter. There were only light injuries to her throat, not severe enough to kill her. She had died of blood loss from the huge multitude of scratched lacing her body. Disturbingly large amounts of cum pooled out from her mouth and around her hindlegs.

Though grieved at the sight of her friend, Spottedpaw felt a red haze overcome her vision, and her claws scratched at the muddy stone beneath her paws. Pure hatred, red as vile, placed itself in her head. _Shade and his gang did this._


	13. Chapter 12

Thank you to TheShadowEclipseX, Warriors catz, LedZeppelin1969 for the reviews! I appreciate it!

* * *

><p>Spottedpaw and Night stared down at Sky's body. "We have to bury her honorably," Spottedpaw stated. Night immediately shook his head.<p>

"No, Spottedpaw. The cats who did this could be anywhere. We must get out of here. Your friend wouldn't want you to die on your journey just so she could be buried," Night smartly replied.

Knowing he spoke the truth, Spottedpaw nodded her head. She looked into his eyes and saw that they were deathly calm. Spottedpaw couldn't help but wonder whether that was a good or bad sign. _No time to think about that now…_

Night and Spottedpaw turned and made their way straight for the edge of twolegplace, their legs moving q quickly, when they stopped dead upon hearing voices. Spottedpaw turned to Night and whispered, "Are they…"

Night nodded, confirming her suspicion. "They carry the gang's scent," he whispered hurriedly, "quick into the shadows." Spottedpaw was about to protest that her pelt wouldn't blend in, but Night shoved her into the shadows against a hard wall, covering her body with his black pelt so they both blended in.

A tom and a she-cat padded towards their hiding spot, talking about something that neither Spottedpaw nor Night could make out. The two strangers stopped at the alley where Sky's body lay. The she-cat snorted contemptibly, "We need to get rid of this stinking body so it doesn't attract rodents."

The tom nodded. "I don't want to put in the effort of burying it or dumping it somewhere more private. Let's just cover it in some twoleg trash." When Spottedpaw heard this, she wants to growl out loud, but Night covered her mouth with his tail, shushing her.

Methodically, the tom and she-cat dragged Sky's body against a wall, then tipped over metal cans with twoleg trash over it, so that her blood scent got covered up with twoleg stench instead. The two strangers laughed. "That's more of a burial than this disobedient bitch deserved." The she-cat purred in agreement, and they both padded out of the alley.

As the blood scent became less sharp, the tom suddenly stopped in his tracks. Lifting his muzzle, he sniffed the air. "There are more intruders," he snarled loudly. His gaze wandered through the area until pinpointing it exactly where Spottedpaw and Night hid.

Spottedpaw wasn't sure what to do, and braced herself for a fight, but Night let his pressure off of her and murmured one simple word: "Run."

Spottedpaw and Night sprinted out of the alley, praying for the end of the gang's territory to come soon. Spottedpaw heard the running pawsteps of the two gang cats behind her, but she didn't dare slow down to look back. "Hurry," she gasped out loud to Night.

Legs pumping and heart racing, the two cats sailed between twoleg dens until suddenly a large stone wall breached their path, separating the twolegplace form the open fields beyond. Night experimented climbing the wall by hurling himself at it and trying to dig his claws into the wall, but it was no use. His claws simply bounced off, and he plummeted back down to the ground.

Spottedpaw watched numbly as Night backed up, trying to formulate a plan. She glanced around rapidly, hearing the approaching cats. They were now yowling at the top of their lungs, obviously trying to alert everyone else of the gang of the intruders.

_We're running out of time…_

Miraculously, Spottedpaw saw a beam of wood lying vertically against the stone wall. She yowled a signal to Night, and led the way to the beam. Night immediately understood, their claws could easily penetrate the wood, and they could climb up it.

"You first," he ordered Spottedpaw, who immediately obeyed, scaling the wood to the top of the wide stone wall. She turned around to see Night facing both the enemy cats, his hackles raised threateningly and his teeth bared.

Spottedpaw called down to Night, "Climb up the back backwards." He did as she said, using his hind paws to guide him. Once he reached the top, with the two enemy cats snarling below at the base of the wooden beam, Spottedpaw pushed the beam sideways, causing it to tip and crash to the ground, leaving the enemy cats stranded below. In the distance, tons of pawsteps echoed against the twoleg dens.

Night nudged Spottedpaw roughly. "Jump!" Simultaneously, the two cats jumped and landed among brown grass at the base of the stone wall. They rested on the ground for awhile, catching their breath as they heard sinister growls on the other side of the wall. It didn't take long for Night to sit up and nudge Spottedpaw. "Come on," he meowed, "We need to put some distance between us and them before they figure another way over that wall."

Momentarily forgetting their coldness towards each other, Spottedpaw and Night padded side by side away from the twolegplace, towards the gorge they had seen. Both Spottedpaw and Night glanced back frequently to make sure no cat pursued them.

As the stone wall of twolegplace grew smaller and smaller in the distance, Spottedpaw began to think. _If that's the worst danger Night and I will have to face…then I know we will make it to Thunderclan. But for some reason, I don't think Shade will let us off that easily…_

* * *

><p>"Sir, the two intruders escaped right over here." Shade walked over to where his gang mate pointed at with his muzzle. He inhaled deeply, taking in the two scents. <em>Out of all the intruders in the world…it's the bitch and my brother…together. <em>He smirked. _How ironic that the she-cat has befriended the brother of the cat who abused her._

The tom behind him continued his report. "We scared them off pretty good, and they didn't even try to put up a fight. They're no threat."

_No threat, huh? I'll be the one who decides that. _Besides, he had something personal with both the cats. His brother simply due to their shared blood and the fact that he abandoned him, and the she-cat because, well, she what was not to like? Pretty, strong, stubborn…_just the cat I could use for a loyal mate…or perhaps more like a loyal slave, but any she-cat somewhat worthy of carrying my kits. _

As thoughts flowed through his mind, a plan gradually pieced together. _That's it! _

Spinning around, he spoke brusquely to the tom, who had grown very loyal to him after Shade had taken him under his wings, saving him from starvation in twolegplace. "Pine, go get Blade and Ice." Pine nodded and darted off to search for the two toms. Both toms were cunning and ruthless, and while both of them weren't exactly loyal to him alone, if he gave them a reason to help him, they would be very beneficial.

Alone for now, Shade circled back and forth, muttering to himself and thinking. He, Blade, and Ice would go after his brother and the she-cat, who he remembered called herself Spottedpaw. The three of them could travel quickly and quietly, kill Night, which Shade promised to do himself, then capture Spottedpaw and…convince her to become his mate, one way or another.

_But how to bribe Blade and Ice into it, so I know I have their loyalty in this mission? _A light bulb went off when he knew the answer. _I'll tell them that when we return successfully, they will have power over most of the other cats. And to make it seem worthwhile, I'll make sure they know that while Spottedpaw will be my mate, she is property of the entire gang. Yes! It is set._

Slow pawsteps echoed as two toms padded to where Shade stood, their eyes narrowed and questioning, and their muscles flexing under their pelt. They padded slowly and confidently to stand in front of Shade, both beating him in height easily, but Shade still purred confidently,

"Ice and Blade, I have a proposition to make to both of you…"

* * *

><p>Spottedpaw purred contentedly as she drunk hungrily from the cool water. It hadn't taken long for Night and her to reach the gorge and scale to the bottom of it. Now they both relaxed under the cool shade of a tree, leaving a comfortable and cold rock to lie on.<p>

Spottedpaw stretched out onto the cool stone and closed her eyes. She only intended to rest her eyes for a few moments before Night and her could make a bit more progress. However, Spottedpaw began to remember her quarrel with Night. _We make such a good team, and I really like him, and I think he likes me too, but what should I do? _

Spottedpaw raised her head and spotted Night laying on his side and resting, his dark back to her. An emotion stirred through her that she couldn't explain, and she drug herself over to his resting form and curled up by his back. She saw his ear twitch, but he didn't open his eyes.

Spottedpaw continued to stare down at the mute form until she had to say something, but what she said surprised her, "I need you, Night!" Shocked, Spottedpaw looked down at her paws. _Why did I say it like that? _

Her exclamation caused Night to open his eyes and lift his head, turning it so he looked at her. Spottedpaw bravely met his gaze, but within moments dropped it back down again, growing uncertain.

Night opened his jaws to say something, paused, and then closed them again. Finally, he reopened his mouth to say, "Spottedpaw, I... I want to prove to you that I'm not like Shade, not at all. But every time we get into a rough situation, you look at me and I always see fear, or anger," he shook his head with frustration, "I don't know how to prove that you can trust me."

Spottedpaw felt herself shrink inside her pelt, not sure how to respond because what he said was so close to the truth. There were just so many thought, so many feelings, she didn't know what to say.

_I guess the best thing to say is the truth. _Spottedpaw spoke, but still refused to look directly in Night's face, "I don't have any excuses for that, Night. But you _have _to believe me when I say that I care about you. I _know _that you're nothing like Shade. You've saved me and helped me in ways that I can't repay…"

Wondering if she said the right thing, Spottedpaw looked into Night's eyes and was delighted and surprised to see gentleness and forgiveness in his gaze. He dipped his head to lick at her shoulder fur, and Spottedpaw purred and did the same to Night.

When they had groomed each other's shoulders, Night lifted his muzzle to Spottedpaw's, his breath hitting her face as he meowed, "You've saved me too, Spottedpaw. But we're not at your home yet. Come, let's travel a little farther before stopping for the Night."

"Okay, but which way should we go first? Night frowned for a moment, thinking, then thrust his muzzle in the opposite direction the river flowed. Spottedpaw agreed, and together they padded along the gorge, traveling against the flow of the river.

They maneuvered twists and turns, sometimes scraping their pads against the rough surface beneath their pads. They continued until the sun completely disappeared below the horizon, plunging the gorge into darkness.

Night stopped and mewed, "Let's look for a place to sl-"

Night didn't finish his sentence when a challenging yowl sounded out farther down the gorge in the direction they were traveling. Before either cat could make a move, four cats swamped them, pinning them down easily.

Spottedpaw swung her paws at one of them, but a sharp cuff over the ear made her stop. "Get to your paws and walk, intruder!" a she-cat snarled. A tom commandingly nodded, growling "Let's take them back to camp and have them questioned. We've been having too many intruders lately."

The four cats allowed Spottedpaw and Night to their paws, then herded them down the gorge. Spottedpaw looked at Night, and he glanced back, then blinked. He seemed to be thinking: _We'll find a way out of this somehow. _

Before Spottedpaw took comfort from that, they were bundled into a sandy clearing, where a tall rock stood amid the two gorge walls, which had holes in them with more cats peeping out to look at the strangers in their camp. A fresh-kill pile lay neatly organized beside the river with several cats around it watching Spottedpaw and Night with half-way eaten fresh kill resting at their paws.

_This is strange, _Spottedpaw thought to herself, _this is very similar to the layout of a clan's camp… _The four cats halted them beneath the large rock, surrounding them so they had no chance of escape. Another cat disappeared over the big rock into a den above it, returning with a she-cat at his side.

The she-cat immediately knew what was going on when she saw the strangers in her camp. She padded to the top of the rock and looked down at them, infuriated.

The cat nearest Spottedpaw began to speak. "Leafstar, we found these two walking I the gorge straight for our camp. They were talking so loudly they must not care about our boundaries at all." The she-cat, who had brown fur with a white chest and belly, lifted her paw commandingly.

"Peace, Sharpclaw. We have to treat this correctly for the good of the clan." Spottedpaw felt her breath quicken and her heart race up. _It can't be! _

Leafstar looked down at Spottedpaw and Night. "well, what is your business in Skyclan's territory?" At this, Spottedpaw gasped out loud, and Leafstar looked straight at her, surprised.

"Well, she-cat?" Leafstar demanded

_What are the chances? _Spottedpaw thought. Fully confident now, Spottedpaw took a step forward, ignoring Night's warning hiss. She opened her mouth and declared, "I am Spottedpaw, the daughter of Firestar's daughter. I come from Thunderclan."


	14. Chapter 13

Audible gasps burst from every direction. Everyone there had either built the foundations of Skyclan alongside Firestar, or had heard the tale of it. Spottedpaw could hear mutterings spread throughout the clan, some pleased, and others suspicious.

"How do we know she's telling the truth?"

"I wonder why a Thunderclan cat came here. Maybe they need help?"

Leafstar yowled commandingly, demanding silence. The cats quickly stopped talking, looking expectantly up at their leader.

Leafstar turned to her deputy, Sharpclaw, quickly issuing orders. "Sharpclaw, gather the senior warriors together for a meeting below High-Rock. Have an apprentice get our guests some freshkill, too."

It didn't take long for Night and Spottedpaw to settle down alongside many other older warriors in a circle, well-fed and growing tired.

"Now," Leafstar began, "tell us everything about why you're here, and what we can do to help."

Spottedpaw began, telling the clan leader how she had been stolen by twolegs, trapped in a twoleg nest, and hunt down by the 'gang.' She skipped over the specifics of when Shade had hurt her, and she felt Night's tail brush her side comfortingly when she noticeably faltered on those parts. Spottedpaw eventually concluded, "so now we have to get back to Thunderclan, but we're not sure how to get there."

Leafstar frowned monetarily, thinking. "You said that the clans moved away from their original forest upriver, and none of us know where they went. But perhaps Echosong or Frecklewish could ask Starclan to guide us," she said while glancing at her medicine-cats, who had listened to Spottedpaw's story with sympathetic eyes.

"Of course we will," replied Frecklewish, dipping her head to Spottedpaw. "And make sure to keep your mind open while you sleep tonight, in case Starclan decided to visit either one of you," she added to both Spottedpaw and Night.

When Spottedpaw and Night nodded in agreement, Leafstar wrapped up the meeting and told Spottedpaw and Night to get some sleep. Sharpclaw led them to an empty den within the side of the gorge wall. He spread out some moss laid out on the side of the den before bidding them good night and leaving them to rest. Spottedpaw and Night rested down, sadly, Spottedpaw noticed, not very close together to avoid their pelts brushing. _Was I so wrong about our relationship? I think I love him, and I think he loves me. Why can't I stop thinking about Shade very time I see Night?_

Rather than dwelling on the subject, Spottedpaw curled up, feeling lonely as ever, to give herself to the darkness of sleep.

Spottedpaw dreamt that night, but not in the way she expected. She opened her eyes to find herself in front of her father, Bramblestar, and Redpaw to her side. They were both watching Bramblestar with wide eyes as he told the story of him and Squirrelflight finding the lake. _I remember this! This happened moons ago._ Spottedpaw watched her father's mouth move, but she couldn't hear any words.

_That's strange. _Spottedpaw peered closer and saw that his mouth formed the same set of words, over and over again. _He must be saying something important. _She began to make out each word one by one. _We… we traveled…we traveled for the…the what? _Spottedpaw moved her lips the same way, trying to imitate the words out. _The setting sun! That's it! We must travel for the setting sun!_

Her eyes opened to see dark gray clouds covering the sky, lightly showering down rain and completely blocking the sun. With a mix of excitement and impatience, Spottedpaw jumped to her paws and swatted the sleeping Night over the ear, waking him up instantly.

"What is it," he grumbled, twisting his head to look at her.

Suddenly feeling playful, Spottedpaw hooked her claws into his shoulder fur and rolled him over to jab her paws into his belly repeatedly. She saw his eyes narrow, and he kicked his hindpaws out to make Spottedpaw fall to her side.

Spottedpaw felt happy that their relationship was rekindling. They wrestled playfully in the den until a loud "ahem" sounded from the entrance. Breaking apart, Spottedpaw and Night sprang to their paws and turned to face Sharpclaw, who glanced over them with amusement. "Listen, if you two need some time alone together…"

Spottedpaw immediately protested, feeling her ears grow hot, "No! We're fine. What can we do for you, Sharpclaw?"

"I'm organizing some hunting patrols…"With that, Spottedpaw marched out of the cave, following Sharpclaw, Night only a few paces behind. They were assigned to a hunting patrol with two of the senior warriors from the night before, Shrewtooth and Cherrytail.

Spottedpaw noticed that Shrewtooth seemed particularly nervous, but didn't pay much attention to it. The patrol head out of the gorge to the forest beyond. The sky grew darker as the rain fell heavier, drenching every cats pelt and making it stick their frames.

At the edge of the forest, Cherrytail turned and nodded to her patrol. "Alright, let's get this done quickly so we can get dry soon. Let's all split up so we can catch as much prey as possible." They nodded in agreement, and Spottedpaw went straight into the forest, while Night walked along the edge of the gorge.

Spottedpaw brushed past soaked ferns and leaves, and her paws became muddy from the wet dirt beneath her claws. _What kind of prey will be around here during this rain? _A massive tree loomed up in front of Spottedpaw, and she skirted around it to see if any prey had taken shelter beneath its roots when she caught a familiar smell. _What is that?_

She tracked the scent to the other side of the tree, where a mix of three different scents laid strongly over the earth, indicating they had been there recently. Spottedpaw put her nose directly on the ground and inhaled deeply. _Oh no…_

Forgetting entirely about the hunt, she sprinted around the tree and towards where they had split up. Her heart beat in terror and she panted simply from sheer panic. Through every twist and turn she expected to see a hidden presence awaiting her, but she successfully managed to get back to the meeting spot. She instinctively darted along the gorge where Night had gone. _I have to warn him…_

She caught his scent and followed it along the gorge until she spotted him crouching low, intent on some prey she could not see. "Night," she yowled as loudly as she could manage, "Night, come quickly." He jumped up, surprised, and looked at her with annoyance.

"I was just about to get a…" Spottedpaw couldn't care less. "It's Shade! He found us. He's in Skyclan's territory." With that, a rumble of lightning sounded close by, following by a blinding light. As if it were a signal, the sky opened up and rain poured heavier than Spottedpaw had ever seen.

She could barely hear Night in the torment. "Spottedpaw, get back to camp! Now!" Lowering her head to keep rain out of her eyes, Spottedpaw padded quickly towards the camp. _I hope Cherrytail and Shrewtooth are alright._

Spottedpaw and Night successfully made it to Skyclan's camp. They were heading for the den when another flash of lightning illuminated dark shapes along the swollen river. Spottedpaw halted and looked downriver and gasped in horror. _They must be crazy._

Less than ten foxlengths away stood two enormous toms, their teeth bared and eyes glittering with malice. Beside them stood Shade, the grin on his face making Spottedpaw want to curl up and hide. They began to slowly pad towards her, and Spottedpaw frantically looked around for help.

No Skyclan cats were in sight, and they couldn't hear what was happening in their own camp because of the thunder and rain. _Starclan help me. _She felt a presence beside her, and she turned to see Night watching the three cats. "Come on, to the warriors den" he hissed.

A panic-stricken yowl sounded up the gorge, and Spottedpaw turned to see Shrewtooth and Cherrytail standing side-by-side, looking down at them in terror, then looking up the river. Confused, Spottedpaw followed their gaze and felt her paws root to the ground.

A huge wave of water stormed towards the cats, moving faster than any cat could possibly move. Spottedpaw turned to warn Night, but at that moment the wave struck, carrying her off her paws. She felt herself swept away in the torrent with no other cat visible.

Debris in the flood floated around Spottedpaw, and a large chunk of wood hit her in the head and caused her to sink beneath the heaving waves. She opened her mouth to scream for help, but water rushed in and choked her.

Frantically kicking her legs, Spottedpaw's head broke the water surface, allowing her to gasp for breath before disappearing under the water. _Think, think, think. _An idea blossomed inside her, making her heart flutter with uncertain hope. _Starclan, help me now._

Using the last of her dying strength, Spottedpaw pounded to the surface and looked around. _There! _The log that had originally knocked her under floated barely out of her reach. She kicked with all her might until she fastened her claws into the soft bark, heaving half her body over it so she could float.

_I have find Night now. _Spottedpaw lifted her head as high as she could and searched desperately for any signs of life around her, but all she could see were branches and small stones. White fur caught her eye, and Spottedpaw saw one of Shade's gang fighting to stay at the surface, but Spottedpaw could tell he was losing the battle. _That's one thing I can thank the river for._

Suddenly, a branch hit her lag hard enough to tip it over, plunging her back into the river. She tried to reach for it again, but the branch knocked it far out of her reach. The combination of her desperate swim and the piercing coldness began to make Spottedpaw lose consciousness. _I can't give up! _

But she was losing the fight. The river tossed her to and fro, knocking her against debris and making her hold her breath for long periods of time. Her final image of the flood was the white pelted cat, still a distance away, desperately clawing at a branch that kept overturning each time he tried to heave himself onto it.

_Is this it?_


	15. Chapter 14

Redfur was dreaming. The moment he had closed his eyes, he envisioned himself underwater, becoming entangled in debris that stuck in his fur and steadily dragged him further and further into the depths of the crystal-like water. He gave one last desperate swipe with his paw to see that they had transformed into someone else's, smaller and pure white. _It's Spottedpaw's paws!_

With a gasp, Redfur jolted awake, blinking rapidly. _Is Spottedpaw drowning as I speak?_ Dizzy with uncertainty, he stumbled out of the warriors den and towards the fern tunnel leading out of the camp. He had earned his new name two days ago, but the accomplishment had been dull because he had been alone without his sister. _I know she's still alive, but there's nothing I can do._

He padded through the tunnel into the chilly night air out of camp. Pawsteps behind him made him look back to see Flowerpaw, her blue eyes filled with concern. She trotted up to Redfur and nuzzled him lightly, murmuring "Are you all right, Redfur?"

Over their apprenticeship together, Redfur and Flowerpaw had grown very close, though they had never spoken to each other about it. Redfur noticed that Flowerpaw always seemed to know when he was upset, and what it was about.

Sighing heavily, Redfur replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just going to go for a walk by the lake."

Flowerpaw dipped her head and appeared nervous. "Would…would you like me to come with you?" Redfur looked surprised, and when Flowerpaw noticed she added, "It's not that I think you need...I mean, well, you just seem really down even though you were just made a warrior."

Redfur bowed his head and shook it sadly. "It's just not the same," he whispered.

Flowerpaw licked his shoulder and mewed, "I know you miss Spottedpaw, but you have to move on. I care about you, everyone cares about you! You need to accept that Spottedpaw…isn't coming back." Flowerpaw looked away, worried whether she had been too brisk. But Redfur didn't react or look convinced.

"Flowerpaw, there's something I haven't told anyone else, and I just feel so…" he struggled for words, "I just feel so lost, I guess," he finished, his voice cracking.

Flowerpaw, desperate to cheer him up, flicked his ear with her tail. "Let's go on this walk," she murmured. They took several steps before she smacked his nose repeatedly with her tail and glanced back to see surprise replacing Redfur's sadness.

"Race you to the lake!" she purred before dashing off, spraying dirt on Redfur with her hindpaws. His spirits lifted, Redfur sprinted after her, stretching out his legs to quickly gain ground on Flowerpaw.

He reached her but couldn't pass her in the dense foliage. Leaves and branches whipped by them as they hurtled through the forest, the green scenery passing by in a blur. Flowerpaw yowled in triumph in front of Redfur, and before he knew it they both broke through the edge of the forest onto the lake shore.

Even before Flowerpaw reached the water, she shouted over her shoulder, "I'm going to beat you!" Growling playfully, Redfur tried to swerve around her, but she reached the water before he could react, and he bowled her over, making them both fall into the freezing water, soaked.

Redfur twisted in the water and flexed his legs straight down to thrust his head out of the water, gasping for breath. "Flowerpaw?" he gasped, glancing around for the white she-cat. He couldn't see her. _Great Starclan, did I drown her? _He suddenly remembered his dream. _Was that a warning? _

Frantic, Redfur swung his head around, looking for any signs of life, when a small bubble appeared from the water beneath him. Just as he looked down, he saw a red paw underneath the water flash out to hook a paw out from under him. With a gasp, Redfur got dunked back into the water, getting thoroughly soaked once again.

He broke the surface to hear Flowerpaw laughing from behind him. Turning, he saw her standing on the shore with dripping wet fur, looking at him with laughter in her eyes. "That's what you get for tackling me, moron!"

Redfur snorted and padded up to Flowerpaw to shake at out his fur. "Okay, alright, I deserved it. But you didn't win! I couldn't get around you." Flowerpaw shouldered him roughly, unbalancing him just enough to make him take a few steps back to rebalance.

She didn't reply to his excuse, but simply stared into Redfur's eyes as they both panted on the edge of the lake, the bright moon above reflecting off of their sleek pelts. After several heartbearts, Redfur turned his head and nodded to a secluded fern clearing up the shore.

"Let's get dry then go back to camp," he murmured. Flowerpaw simply nodded and followed him to the soft, grassy clearing. They curled around each other for warmth and shared tongues to dry each other's fur.

Redfur began to feel self-conscious as they sat in silence, grooming each other. As their rasping tongues soothed his thoughts, he suddenly remembered their earlier conversation. Trusting Flowerpaw entirely, he burst out, "I think Spottedpaw is still alive."

Flowerpaw looked at him questioningly, her blue eyes searching his. "Firestar told me in a dream awhile back, and I have these dreams where I, I think I imagine her in whatever she's going through. And it's never good," he explained, dipping his head and leaning it forward to rest it on Flowerpaw's jaw.

Flowerpaw drug her tongue across his ear soothingly as he continued, "I think there's something I should do. I think…I think I should leave Thunderclan to go look for her."

Redfur felt Flowerpaw tense up against him, and he heard her whisper, "Leave Thunderclan? But…but what about your friends and your family, and what about me?"

Redfur quickly brought his muzzle up to her ear to lick it. "Not to leave for good, just until I find my sister…"

Flowerpaw rubbed her face into Redfur's chest, and he barely heard her muffled whisper through his fur, "If you go look for her, promise to take me with you. You can trust me, you know."

Over this exchange of words, Redfur felt a strong sensation course through him, a mixture of love, gratitude, and protectiveness along with hatred and anger to anyone who would threaten those he loved.

Before either cat knew it, they were licking at each other's faces and fur, and Redfur used his paw to gently position Flowerpaw into a crouch. "Are you sure you want this," he whispered into her ear as he delicately placed his paws on either side of her.

She nodded, and rested her head on the inside of his leg whispering "I'm sure, Redfur." Redfur gently began to lick the top of her head, moving down to draw his tongue over the fur that covered her spine. Soon,a series of quiet moans echoed through the forest.

* * *

><p>Readers,<p>

When I write sex scenes, it's not so guys can go have sex with their hand or for girls to do whatever they do, it's an attempt to make the story relatable/realistic. I know I am not a good "lemons" writer, but I do my best for the story.

Also, whenever rape is portrayed or mentioned, I am by no means advocating it. Let it be clear that I want this story to _condemn_ rape. Despite the fact that our society is becoming and has already become a "rape culture," I hope that people see this story presenting rape as demeaning and evil.

WarriorCats Variable


	16. Chapter 15

Spottedpaw eyes shot open to see the dry, gray sky above. Each time her breath rasped in her throat, she felt sharp pain flash in her chest. She twisted herself onto her belly and vomited water up several times.

Shivering from her soaked pelt and from her near-death experience, Spottedpaw gazed around, trying to figure out where she had ended up. She had miraculously been swept onto the shore by the flood. _I'm alive!_

Spottedpaw gazed at the swollen river, getting her shocked thoughts together before deciding what she should do next.

_Dear Starclan, I hope Night is still alive. What will I do without him?_

Spottedpaw walked along to river to look for Night when she spotted a flash of white fur buried under some debris. _It's that tom!_

Curiosity getting the better of her, Spottedpaw cautiously approached the tom until she stood looking over him. As she gazed down she saw his flank heaving for breath, and could see watered blood on the ground of which he lay on.

In a flash, Spottedpaw recalled that this tom was obviously a member of Night's gang, and that he had probably come to hurt her. Sighing, Spottedpaw skirted around the toms' body, intending to leave him for dead. _One less problem, right?_

As she walked away, she heard a low groan come from the white cat, Spottedpaw paused, hating herself for hesitating. _Why on earth would I help him? He doesn't deserve it. But I can't just leave him like that to die, can I?_

Growling under her breath, Spottedpaw whipped around and approached the tom. Her gut wrenched as she began to haul off the debris. A stick had penetrated the toms' flank, the bark roughly wedging the stick in his flesh. Blood oozed slowly out around the impalement.

Spottedpaw couldn't help but wonder if she should bother trying to save him, considering who he was. But she knew that she wouldn't live with herself if she didn't try.

Spottedpaw grabbed his scruff in between her teeth and dragged up the shore to a grassy section by a tree, where there was at least some shelter. Spottedpaw carefully moved him so that the stick didn't hit anything. _Now how am I going to do this? Think Spottedpaw, what do I need to do?_

_Get the water out of him_. Nodding to herself, she propped her shoulder underneath his and lifted him up just enough to see water trickle out of his mouth. _Now get cobwebs for the bleeding_, she ordered herself.

Spottedpaw quickly collected a large amount of cobwebs. She laid them down next to the tom and stared down at the stick that stuck out of his flank. "That must hurt," she breathed. Hesitantly, Spottedpaw grabbed the stick in her mouth and pulled lightly, causing the tom to growl in pain. Glancing at his face, she saw that his eyes were closed and his breathing still slow. _He's still unconscious, c'mon Spottedpaw get this over with._

Holding back a wave of nausea, Spottedpaw grabbed this stick roughly and pulled on it hard, and it ripped away from the skin, causing blood to flow out in an immense amount.

Quick as lightning, Spottedpaw wrapped the wound in cobwebs, which quickly soaked thoroughly in blood. Panicking, Spottedpaw used her paw to shove the cobweb into the gaping hole, desperately trying to staunch the bleeding. She now knew for certain that whoever this tom was, she didn't want him to die at her paws as she tried to save him.

Time passed with Spottedpaw holding the cobweb in place to keep the bleeding down. She felt the tom twitch weakly beneath her paws, and she noticed his jaws lock from pain. After what felt like days, the bleeding slowed to just miniscule drops, even when she took her paws off of it.

Sighing, Spottedpaw stepped back and gazed over the tom. He looked half-dead, and he shivered from cold. Glancing up at the sky, she saw no trace of sunlight, and the gray clouds made it even darker. _I guess I'll have to stay here for the night._

She settled down next to the large white tom, and after a moment's hesitation, began to lick his fur to dry it, and did her best to clean around the wound to help stop infection. Once he was dry, she roughly groomed herself before pressing against the white tom lightly to help him keep warm.

Spottedpaw rested her head on her paws and murmured to the unconscious cat beside her, "Why am I helping you? You're a monster." Spottedpaw closed to eyes to sleep. "I should've just let you die."

* * *

><p>A loud groan woke Spottedpaw, making her shoot her head up and look wildly in every direction before realizing it had come from the white tom. She watched as he shifted light on his belly, as though trying to stand.<p>

Spottedpaw put her paw on his shoulder and pushed him down quickly. "No," she mewed firmly, "If you stand you'll make yourself bleed to death."

The tom gasped and fell back down as though he hadn't noticed she was there. He whipped his head towards her and stared, obviously shocked. He opened his jaws to say something but no words came out. Instead, a loud rumble escaped from his belly, causing Spottedpaw to roll her eyes.

"Stay here, you aren't fit to travel yet," Spottedpaw ordered. Standing up, she dashed into the forest, leaving the bewildered tom behind. She managed to catch a large squirrel. Her mouth watered as it's scent, but she forced herself to not eat it.

She marched back to the dazed tom, who once again stared at her as she threw the squirrel down in front of him. "Eat it," she meowed, before turning her back. Silence followed her command, but the tom broke it after a few heartbeats, "Thank you."

The reply was deep and slightly menacing, as though that's how he always spoke. Not wanting to converse with the tom, Spottedpaw simply replied, "Yup" before facing downriver and walking away.

She heard the tom try to scramble to his paws before collapsing back down again, hissing in pain. "Wait," he called hoarsely, "Why did you do this?"

Spottedpaw looked over her shoulder, looking at him straight in the eye. _What should I say? _She wondered. _Nothing, that's what. As soon as he's healthy he will try try to get me again. Well, fuck him._ After heartbeats of silence, she simply shook her head at him and turned away, beginning her journey down the river in silence.

She felt the tom's gaze on her back until she went around a corner, disappearing from his view.

* * *

><p>Rearing onto his paws, he roared "Spottedpaw, can you hear me?" Pricking his ears, he heard nothing but his echo answer. Snarling, he slammed his paws against the ground in frustration. <em>If she's dead, I'll never forgive myself! This is my fault.<em>

Growling, Night continued walking downriver. He had no way of knowing which way to go. Hell, for all he knew Spottedpaw had sunk into the depths of the water, never to see the light of day again. He had decided to pick one way and stick with it.

Night passed some twoleg nests as he passed along the river, but he didn't bother looking for any kittypets. They'd still be inside after the storm.

He looked along the river, dreading to see a lifeless tortoiseshell floating along the river, or washed up onto the shore. He was so concentrated on finding Spottedpaw he didn't notice two cats stalking him until they pounced onto him and pinned him onto his belly, one holding his shoulders, the other his haunches.

"Look at this, Kira, a rogue near our territory. What should we do?" A tom's voice said tauntingly, and a she-cat replied, "I'm not sure, Burly." Suddenly Night heard the amusement in their voices, and they got off of him and stepped back, allowing him to get back to his paws.

He turned to look at both of them, unsure what they wanted. They gazed back at him with laughter in their eyes. The tom spoke first. "Relax, we don't want to hurt you. But you are close to where we live, and we've never seen you before."

Night let his fur relax and nodded to the two kittypets politely. "I don't mean to cross your borders. I'm looking for my friend, she got swept away by the flood." Suddenly hopeful, he looked at the two cats, "Could you please help me? She means a lot to me."

The two cats exchanged glances, and Night noticed the toms' gaze held uncertainly. "I don't think we shou-" but the she-cat interrupted him. "Of course we'll help! We'd do the same for each other," she mewed looking at the tom next to her. Night saw warmth fill his gaze and he nodded. "I suppose you're right."

Night dipped his head low and rumbled, "Thank you again." The tom nodded curtly and meowed, "Let's fan out on each side of the river to look for your friend."

Looking at the swollen river, Night opened his jaws to say that no cat could swim across that when the top plunged into the river and strongly pumped his legs until he reached the other side. Night shook his head, amazed at how different these two kittypets were, and together the three cats began to patrol down the river in search of Spottedpaw.


	17. Chapter 16

"You stupid idiot! Why did you let her go?"

Ice shook his head, replying slowly and deeply, "I couldn't even stand. How would I have captured her? She's not exactly helpless." While the words were completely true, he wasn't revealing everything. _She did more than show mercy on me, she saved my life._

Shade snarled, baring his teeth while looking down at the white tom, whose fur shone brightly as though just cleaned. "You _groomed _yourself while she walked away? You didn't think to call out for us for help?"

"Actually Shade, I didn't. You can thank the she-cat for that as well." In a blur of pure black fur, Shade used his paw to throw Ice onto his side before pinning him down with his paws on his ribs.

"We don't owe that she-cat anything! _You _don't owe her anything. She's ours. She belongs to us. She is our _property_," Shade spelled the word out as though Ice were a kit. Shade's eyes filled with fury, and he raised his paw and unsheathed his claws as though to kill Ice.

Ice merely watched, not sure whether to react until his companion, or more like coworker, with his blood-red fur and white belly, calmly pushed Shade away from Ice. "He won't be helpful if he's dead, that's for sure," Blade purred smoothly.

Ice narrowing his eyes at Blade and studied him. _I've never trusted him, one second he'll save your life, the next he'll gladly rip your throat out. _

Ice looked down his body to see that the wound had started to bleed a bit because of Shade. Deciding to get straight to the point, Ice looked up at the other toms. "It will take at least a quarter-moon for me to walk. You two can go on without me."

At the words, Ice felt guiltily relieved at the thought of not tracking down the she-cat anymore, nor having to go back on his word of getting her at all costs.

Shade snarled at his words, which clearly had not tempered his mood. "Of course we'll go on. But there will be reckoning for this, Ice, and don't forget it." With a final sneer, Shade turned and began to trot down the stream along Spottedpaw's scent trail, beckoning Blade to follow.

With a nonchalant shrug, Blade followed Shade down the river, leaving Ice staring after them, unsure what to do next.

* * *

><p>Spottedpaw hissed lightly when she stepped on a hidden thorn that embedded itself in her paw. Lifting it to her mouth, she tried to tug it out with her teeth but she only managed to bite her pad. After failing again and again to get the thorn out, she shook her head and limped onward. Her instinct screamed danger, and she was sure someone was pursuing her.<p>

As she walked around a tree, the aroma of mouse overcame her, and her belly rumbled loudly, reminding her that she hadn't eaten in so long. _Why did I give that tom that food?_

Her mind screamed at her to leave the mouse and move, but it was too tempting. She let herself fall into the natural hunting crouch Night had taught her and began to approach the mouse.

Without warning, the mouse pricked its ears and scampered away from Spottedpaw into the tangled roots of a tree, leaving her surprised. _I didn't make a sound. Then what…_

Spottedpaw gasped in surprise when the undergrowth trembled violently to the side she had come, and a red tom exploded out towards her. Spinning around, Spottedpaw took a single lunge forward before she felt the toms' weight on top of her, pinning her down.

She twisted her head and watched the tom as he looked over his should and called out, "Got her over here." He sounded…_bored._

"Please," Spottedpaw begged, "let me go. You can't let Shade near me. Please! I beg you!"

She felt the toms' claws sink into her back, drawing blood from it. "Just shut up cooperate. You've already caused too much trouble. I would obey, if I were you."

At that, Spottedpaw felt Shade's dark presence come near. She heard him praise the red tom before walking in front of her. As though in queue, Blade placed his paw on her head and pushed it onto the ground. Shade stood in front of her so that her whiskers brushed his claw-tips.

Spottedpaw opened her jaws to say something but Shade shoved his paw into her mouth, claws still unsheathed. "Well pretty, what the fuck is your excuse this time? You've been disobedient and naughty, Spottedpaw. I _will _punish you for that."

Spottedpaw, in a panic, tried sinking her teeth into his paw but a blow to the ears from Blade stopped her. She saw Shade bend down, his face so similar to Night's, and lick her ears gently and whispering, "I would let you clean my paw, my love, but we'll have to save that for later."

Spottedpaw stared up at, fear making her thoughts freeze. She saw his dark eyes blink down at her pleasurably, and he flexed his paw in her mouth before removing it. "Don't even think about saying anything, or we'll cut your tongue off. Now, _that _would be a shame," Shade snickered before he and Blade flanked her.

The three cats made slow progress up the river where they'd come from, towards twolegplace. _No! _Spottedpaw thought, horrified, _I can't go back there! They'll rape me and probably kill me! _

As though Shade sensed her thoughts, he shouldered her roughly so that she bumped into Blade's red flank, purring. As though he didn't know whose fault it was, Spottedpaw felt Blade nip her ear sharply, making her flinch in pain.

"Watch it, she-cat." Spottedpaw refused to respond and walked obediently in between in the two toms until she saw the familiar curve of the river's bank to the spot she had dragged the white tom to.

She felt anger bubble within her when she saw his head pop up and turn to her, staring straight at her in shock. She met his gaze, and he quickly turned his head away, and she swore she saw guilt within his eyes. _Of course this is what happens when I help someone. I get screwed over._

Desperately, Spottedpaw tried reasoning with Shade once more. "Shade, please, whatever you want I can't give it to you. Just please let me go home, my family misses me."

Shade laughed and thrust his muzzle in her face. "You're talking as if I care. I think this calls for a rule now. Don't speak unless spoken to, or given permission, understood?" Spottedpaw just nodded defeatedly, making Shade laugh more. "Oh, Spottedpaw, we're gonna be such good mates."

Spottedpaw wanted to puke at the smile he gave her. They led her to a thorn bush that had only one tunnel in or out of it with a cramped space inside. Spottedpaw stopped at the entrance to peer inside but a shove from behind pushed her onto her knees. "Go in it and stay. Don't make any sound or trouble. I'll rape if you do, understand."

Shade didn't wait for an answer, but spun around and walked away. The red tom looked at her with gleaming eyes before turning his back and sitting outside to keep guard. _I'm stuck here, what do I do now._

Peering through the trick vines, she saw the white tom still sitting in the nest _she _had made, every once in a while glancing in her direction before burying his face into his paws. Spottedpaw hissed in frustration, infuriated that he repaid her kindness with idleness.

She saw him stand up and walk off the opposite direction, not casting a single glance back at her. _What will I do now. _Shuddering, Spottedpaw curled into a ball and thrust her nose beneath her paw, whimpering. _Why does this keep happening?_

Spottedpaw broke off from her doze when a white pelt blocked the entrance to her den, prey held in the cats' jaws. She watched as Ice dropped the prey a respectful distance from her before dipping his head and backing out of the den.

Slightly surprised, Spottedpaw looked down at the prey to see it was a puny mouse that looked crippled. She snickered, "That's all he can catch in his state, and if he thinks this will make me forgive him, he's an idiot." Despite its bad shape, Spottedpaw gulped down the prey hungrily when a dark pelt blocked the entrance.

"Spottedpaw," Shade rumbled looking down at her. "It's time for your punishment. Get out of the den, _now." _

Spottedpaw obeyed in a rush, snarling at Shade as she passed. "I'm going to get out of here, Shade. And don't even think about touching me again."

Spottedpaw shivered on the inside when Shade purred, dark eyes glittering. "Oh, don't worry, we're don't going to do _that _quite yet, as much as a shame that may be."

Suddenly Spottedpaw felt Shade grip her scruff and drag her over to Ice's nest. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shade's eyes suddenly light up. _What's he thinking now?_

Without warning, Spottedpaw's paws got swiped out from underneath her, making her crash into Ice's nest, making Spottedpaw gasp. She felt Shade's claws grip her flank and twist her around until she faced a pile of…dung.

"So pretty, I hear you saved my gangmate. We'll see what he thinks of this…" Shade chuckled.

Behind her, Spottedpaw heard Ice approach and a questioning mew come from him. "What's going on?"

"Ice," Shade looked directly at him, "push her face into your dung. It seems you two have some romance going on anyway."

Spottedpaw nearly threw up right there. "Leave me the fuck alone or I swear by Starclan I'll kill you," she hissed. She saw from the corner of her eye that Ice was hesitant. "Shade, please don't do this. This isn't…" Spottedpaw felt drops of blood flick on her pelt when Shade viciously clawed Ice. "Do it now, Ice, or I'll tear you limb by limb."

Spottedpaw tried to drag herself away when Ice slowly padded up to her, but Shade gripped her shoulder in his claws and held her in place. "Do it not, Ice," he snarled.

"Please Shade, she saved me. She didn't do anything wrong." Shade lifted his paw with claws unsheathed, showing them with Ice's blood glittering in the weak sunlight.

Desperately, Spottedpaw mewed, "Ice, please don't do this." But he shook and head and avoided her gaze. "I'm sorry," he whispered. She felt a paw on the back of her head, and closed her eyes as pressure steadily pushed her towards the stinking pile of fresh dung…

Moments afterward, she screamed when claws dug into the flesh of her scruff and ripped down her back close to her spine.

* * *

><p>"Spottedpaw, are you awake?" Ice's plaintive meow sounded from outside. Spottedpaw growled in response, "What do you want? Just leave me alone."<p>

She saw Ice slip into the den and stop right at the entrance. "Please, I didn't want to do that, but I had no choice…" Spottedpaw tipped her head and laughed maniacally at his pleading. "I thought the exact same thing when I saw your half-dead body, but what did I do? It doesn't matter, get out of here you, you monster!" She finished the sentence baring her teeth.

She saw Ice shake his head sadly. "I want to try to make up for it right now." Spottedpaw pointedly turned her back to him, but he kept talking. "I'm supposed to guard you."

Spottedpaw looked at him questioningly. "Then guard me, rape me, torture me, do whatever it is you want to do and leave."

"No, you don't understand..."his plead was interrupted by a fierce battle cry. Several more answered it, and Skyclan scent bathed the area as 4 warriors hurtled into the rogue's camp, snarling.

Spottedpaw saw Shade and Blade erupt from their dens and attack the warriors, but it took less than seconds for he outnumbered rogues to flee scratched and bruised. Ice stumbled forward but his injury made him stumble, and before he got to his paws two Skyclan cats, Sharpclaw and a warrior Spottedaw didn't recognize held Ice down.

Ice thrashed desperately with his paws at the attackers but a blow to his face made him still. "Let me go, please don't kill me!" he begged as blood dripped into his eyes, but the warriors hissed down at him. "Shut it or I swear to Starclan I'll end your life right here," Sharpclaw growled into the shaking white toms' ear.

Spottedpaw jumped back when a face appeared directly in front of her, and she quickly recognized Leafstar's relieved face. "Thank Starclan we found you! We didn't even know if you had survived the flood." When Spottedpaw just stared back at the leader, and Leafstar's gaze flicked to her pelt where numerous scratches were clearly visible.

"Oh, you poor thing. Sharpclaw," she called softly over her shoulder, "Let Spottedpaw lean on you back to camp. She's had a rough time."

Spottedpaw watched Sharpclaw pad into her den, and the large tom presence beside her calmed her a bit. "You can lean on me. Let's get you somewhere safe," he murmured.

Numbly, Spottedpaw nodded in response and trudged out of the den and back upriver. She saw that the other two warriors were flanking Ice and making him to keep on walking, but Spottedpaw coudn't bring herself to care at the moment. By dusk, she felt her paws begin to wobble beneath her, and she barely realized Sharpclaw crouching beside her as a warrior nudged her onto his back to carry her to Skyclan's camp. She felt herself slide in and out of a doze as Sharpclaw's shoulders lightly bounced lightly beneath her.

**Thank you so much to Lawsonsog, Sunnypelt, brittanya2000, and the Guest for reviewing!**

**Dear Guest (anonymous),**

**I apologize for not explaining the statement that I made about our society being a rape culture (in my opinion). My reasoning behind this comes from the view that people have completely accepted rape as a joke.**

**For example, whenever I walk down my school's hallways I constantly hear jokes about rape, like "raping" somebody in sports, or getting "raped" by a test, or just shouting out the word and everyone in the vicinity laughing as if the word by itself is hilarious. And it's not like it rarely happens. It's between every class period, every single lunch, and even away from school when I hang out with people. It seems like people don't even think twice about cracking a joke about rape.**

**I know a rape survivor in my school whom whenever upon hearing a rape joke, she looks away and refuses to talk because she just doesn't know what to say or how to react. And she doesn't dare open up about the fact she had been in the situation because she thinks people would just start making jokes about it. What's even worse is that I can't help but wonder if she's right.**

**Anyway, sorry for my angry tantrum there. Any and all thoughts are welcome in the comments. Have a great day!**


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